


The Swear Jar and Other Stories

by sniperct



Series: Artifacts [5]
Category: Tomb Raider & Related Fandoms, Tomb Raider (Video Game), tomb raider (2013 reboot)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Drabbles, F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Holidays, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-29
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-01-03 00:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 55
Words: 41,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sniperct/pseuds/sniperct
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a collection of short and medium length drabbles about Lara and Sam. Generally all follow the canon set up in In This Together and Scars (unless otherwise mentioned) and I plan to fill in details about their life together. </p><p>Also for fluff. So much fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Swear Jar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara reveals the truth about the swear jar.

When we were in university we used to keep a swear jar. Lara didn’t swear as much back then, but there’s no way that it could have filled as fast as it did with just me. One month, there was a hundred pound note in there. We always used the money to treat ourselves to something nice but I finally broke down and asked her why. It was that hundred pounds that did it.

She’d been studying and looked flustered when I asked. “Why do you want to know, Sam?”

“Because you don’t swear that much. So I want to know where the money comes from?” Duh? It was obvious. She was so dense sometimes. I loved that about her but back then it hadn’t really clicked just how much.

She’d given me this smile. That goofy dorky smile that I kept falling heads over heels with. I keep falling head over heels for it, even now. “It’s for every time I think about _throttling_ my best friend.”

Oh. Well I suppose that made sense. I’d want to throttle me too for all the antics I pulled.

I accepted that answer at the time, but now that we’re settling into our lives together, we started up the swear jar again. Don’t get me wrong, Lara swears a lot more now, but it’s not filling up as quickly as it used to.

So one day I decide to ask her about it, draping my arms over her shoulders while she’s doing yet more research. I think she’s looking at a map of Peru but I can’t quite tell. “Sweetie?”

“Mm?” She doesn’t look away from her notes but I catch the hint of a smile on her lips.

“So you don’t want to throttle me as much as you used to?” I ask her, pointing towards the swear jar.

She follows my finger with her eyes and then blushes. Deeply. Oookay. I slide around to her side and look at her. “You’re hiding something. Spill.”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“What’s so embarrassing about wanting to throttle me? Sometimes I want to strangle myself.”

“That is a common reaction in anyone who’s met you, Sam. But back then, I didn’t really put money in when you made me want to throttle you. It was when… other things.”

The truth comes out! At least partially. I sit on my knees in front of her for story time and give her my most expectant look. She seems to resist at first but I’m not at all prepared for what she actually says.

“It was for every time you turned me on or made me jealous.” She sounds so sheepish saying it, but it’s adorable. It’s easy to forget how dense we were about our feelings for each other. Oblivious, especially on my part.

But all I can think of to say is, “Wow… So what did I do to deserve the hundred pounds?”


	2. Endurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara and Sam on the Endurance, the first day after setting sail.

It’s been a day since finally getting underway on our expedition (Technically it’s Dr. Whitman’s expedition but I still can’t believe I get to play such an important role in it!). I can’t wait. I can’t wait to find this ancient kingdom and get my hands into the dirt. I can spend hours and days poring over old manuscripts and books and researching, but my true love is hands-on in the field.

I’ve been having a hard time sitting still. I spent a few hours on deck, but eventually I needed to retreat to the relative solitude of the cabin Sam and I share. We’ve had a long road just to get here and I’m ecstatic that she’s not only sharing in this with me but _participating_. I’ve seen what she can do with her editing software and I’m positive she’ll spin gold. I look up from my notebook when she enters and we share a smile before I glance at my watch. “I hadn’t realized how late it was.”

“You’ve been bouncing around all day,” she points out. I have the top bunk, so she comes over and rests her chin on it to look up at me. I reach down and gently brush some of her hair off of her cheek. It’s very soft.

“I can’t help how excited I am!” 

“I know!” Sam steps away and tugs her shirt off. She turns around as I try to find some place to look at that isn’t her. I always have to look away, I can’t trust my expression at times like these if I look at her. I hear her add, “You light up. It’s amazing. I love how animated you get. This is going to kick ass, Lara!”

She’s back over at the bunk and climbing in with me as I register she’s shed her bra, too. I scoot over to give her room and stare fervently at the ceiling like it’s a very interesting artifact. I’m only in a tank top and her skin is so warm that I barely hear what she’s saying. I respond, “Well we’ve got a damn good film crew, you know.”

“Yeah, me and a deckhand.” She laughs and I turn my head to face her, before rolling onto my side and slipping my arms around her.

“You start talking cameras and you’re a lost cause.” The words come easily enough. We’ve joked about this often enough, but neither of us are one hundred percent silly about it. She’s very good, and I’m very good. We’re like two sides to the same coin - I can discover and teach but she’s the one that can turn it into something the rest of the world wants to see.

The next few weeks are going to be plenty busy. Sam will have her face in a viewfinder for most of it and I’m going to be buried in maps and charts. I’m going to enjoy the moment’s peace, and I can feel my limbs grow heavy as the excitement of the day really starts to wear off. Her fingers make little steps up and down my back and I can feel the expanse of her skin under the palm of my hand. My throat bobs as I swallow. If only she knew what she did to me.

I try to put it out of my mind and just enjoy the feel Sam’s skin and the scent of her hair. My mind starts to wander to Yamatai. What will we find there, and in what state will it be in? I’m looking forward to finding out. 

I must have drifted off because I’m woken when something soft brushes against my lips. I open my eyes and Sam is snuggled against me, her head tucked under my chin. I must have imagined it and I wished it had been real. I pull her closer and try to sleep again. I can’t imagine life without Sam, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to tell her what she truly means to me.

“Lara?”

“Mm…?”

“Thank you for letting me come along.”

I shift my head back a little to look down at her. “Your uncle is financing this expedition, Sam. It would be weird not to bring you. But I’d been hoping you’d have come anyway.”

She looks up at me and smiles. The fingers of my left hand find her face and stroke along her cheekbone. “Get some rest. You get to deal with Dr. Whitman tomorrow.”

Sam makes a face at me, but seems to accept my unspoken invitation to stay in my bunk, because she pillows her head on my chest.

That excitement starts to return and I almost wish it was morning so I can get to work. Almost. Because if it was morning Sam wouldn’t be in my arms.


	3. Not-a-Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> University days. Sam and Lara discuss going out. It's not really a date but it might as well be.

Trying to get Lara to dance is actually pretty easy, all things considered. I just flash her my biggest puppy eyes and the pout reserved just for her. A drink usually helps. Then I can drag her out to the floor and bait all the guys. Though sometimes I don’t want the guys and I just want her, but I usually try to pretend I’m not feeling that way about my best friend. Especially when it feels like I’m the whole world to her in those moments. It’s a nice feeling, but I don’t ever want to mix that up with deeper emotions.

I’m actually in one of those moods tonight so I don’t want to hit the clubs, because then things’ll be awkward again and the other night had been really awkward. I don’t want to stay home either, so I’m not sure what to do. Lara probably just wants to stay in. We can curl up on the couch and watch something, so I pop my head into her room to pester her. I love pestering Lara when she studies.

She’s standing in front of her closet in just a pair of red panties. I wonder for a moment when she’d gotten those then I remember I’d given them to her for her birthday.

I bounce in and hug her from behind. “Got a hot date or something?”

Lara jumps and I feel her skin grow warm. She stammers, “Oh, n-no nothing like that. I just thought you were going to drag me out and I wasn’t in the mood to argue so I was going to get ready ahead of time…”

“I was thinking we could stay in and watch a movie, but if you wanna go out we can go out.” An idea is forming in my head, and I let go of her and dig through her closet. I find a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a Bach pun on it and hold it out to her. It says ‘Take me Bach to the good old days’ and has Bach’s face. I don’t get it, but it amuses Lara. That woman has the widest taste in music I’ve ever seen. There was a Metallica t-shirt in there and she’d once dragged me out to see some band called Symphony X, but one of the first times I’d ever met her she’d been listening to classical.

She looks at the shirt and then at me. “You don’t want to go to a club? Are you ill?”

I laugh. “No, but I want to do something different. I just had a wicked idea. Get dressed!” I smack her on the butt and run to get ready in my own room.

I come out a few minutes later in a similar (but very cute) outfit, and smile at Lara. She’s waiting in the living room and it takes her a few moments to meet my eyes. “Why do I feel like you’ve got something evil planned?”

“Because I do.” 

I’m dragging her into the skating rink about twenty minutes later, ignoring her protests. We’re going to skate, and we’re going to have fun. “Shush, Lara. You’re very coordinated.”

“I’m going to fall on my face and it’ll be humiliating.” 

“Oh sweetie.” I push her out onto the rink after we’ve got our skates on and kind of flail after her. She might be coordinated but I forgot that the last time I tried to skate I’d fallen on my ass. I start to careen out of control but then Lara catches up to me and steadies me. I kind of cling onto her. 

She doesn’t really let go of me the rest of the night, and I don’t mind at all.


	4. Snow Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara and Sam get snowed in, and emotions overflow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not part of the In This Together universe. Sort of a "What if" set after Yamatai.

This is all Sam’s fault. This had been her idea. A get-away in the mountains of the American Northwest, in a little cabin. As though a week is going to help us decompress from… everything. We’re going to need a year, if not more. But I agreed to the idea because I need that time. Admitting that I do is a step, and Sam…

When we got to the cabin, the look on Sam’s face convinced me that she desperately needed this too. It’s not a place I ever expected the city girl to be happy to see, but neither of us have slept well since the island.

But now, I’m watching the snow come down so hard, and this is Sam’s fault. We’re not going to get out of here easily. I glance back from the window. My friend is curled up on the couch with a steamy mug of cocoa, and my irritation lessons. The cabin has enough stock to last us a whole winter if it came to it, and I can always hunt us food too.

She looks so much at peace that I can’t stay mad. The stress, the anguish that’s been beneath the surface of her skin seems to be gone. It’s ebbed from me, too. I close the curtains and walk over to sit next to her in front of the hearth. She sets aside her mug and lifts the blanket up. I slip inside with her. Head on my shoulder, Sam melts into me and I can’t help but melt into her. I’m conscious of every part of our bodies that meet.

One thing that Yamatai had taught me is that Sam is my world. She’s the only family that I have left. She’s more than a friend, more than family. When she’d been tied to that stake and the flames had reached up to claim her…If the winds had not put the fire out I would have told her how I felt, my selfish confession, my last words to her.

“I _love_ you.”

The words spill out before I can catch them, and I _freeze_. Any other words refuse to come, and I’m terrified that she’ll pull away and I’ll lose her forever.

Her hand finds my face and turns it until our lips touch. Tentatively at first, and then with greater urgency we explore this new dimension. She tastes a little like chocolate, and I almost miss it when she tells me she loves me too.

Let us be here together, for as long as we can. Just Sam and I and this warmth and comfort we’ve just discovered. If whatever cruel gods that damaged us so have any shred of mercy, _please_ just let it keep snowing.


	5. Pink Earbuds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Lara got hear pink earphones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set on Lara's 20th birthday

“Happy birthday!”

I nearly jump out of my desk chair when Sam comes barging in, and I look at the clock. It’s nearly three in the morning. And it really is my birthday, but damn I‘d hoped she’d forgotten. I’d rather let my birthday come and go uncelebrated, especially with how dismal the weather is tonight.

So I turn towards her. “Sam, it’s not my birthday until I go to sleep and wake up.” Having my birthday on Valentine’s day is terrible. I barely pay attention to boys as it is. Last year one in my classes a boy went so far as to suggest he should be my present to unwrap. I think Sam nearly hit him. _Sam_. She _knows_ better.

“Don’t be dumb. You were born at two fifty-six in the morning and it’s two fifty-six.” She points at my clock, which indeed says two fifty-six. I look back at Sam in awe and slight discomfort at the fact she’s managed to dig up my birth certificate.

“So you want to celebrate my birthday now?” Is that what that smell is? Has she been baking? Oh my god! Getting out of the chair I start towards the door. I’m having flashbacks to my sixteenth birthday. “Tell me you didn’t bake. Is the flat on fire? The flat is on fire isn’t it.”

She bars the doorway with her body and looks up at me. “I know how to follow directions, Lara. I used a box this time. And we’re celebrating now because I’m not gonna to be able to drag you out tomorrow because you have some kinda birthday phobia.”

That placates me. I rest my hands on either side of the door and lean in towards her, smiling fondly. “Okay, I guess I can handle a cake if it’s just you. It _is_ just you, right?”

“It’s just me, sweetie.” She leans up and kisses my cheek, then darts out of my reach. If only Sam was my present tonight, but those thoughts make me feel guilty. She deserves more than to be fodder for late night fantasies. It just got really hard to ignore, some nights.

I follow her out. She’s pulling the cake out of the oven. It needs to cool before she can put frosting on it but it doesn’t looked burnt and nothing is on fire so I’ll call that a success.

There are presents on the table and I suppress a sigh. I don’t need her to splurge on me, and she never expects me to splurge on her for her birthday (though I’ll spend hours agonizing over just the right thing) so I don’t need anything like this. Yet there’s a mountain of presents on the table.

She leans on the table and winks at me. “I thought about bringing you home a date all wrapped up in a bow but I thought you’d kill me.”

“You thought right. The last date you set me up on ended in disaster. I still can’t show my face in that pub.”

“He deserved to have his dinner dumped all over him!” 

I’d told Sam all about it, of course. The bastard had just assumed I’d be going home with him and the date was just a formality, but the real final straw had come with he’d tried to grab my bum when I walked past him to go to the loo.

I’d left him with the bill and sauce dripping off his head. “That not withstanding…I hope you learned your lessons about blind dates.”

“That you can ruin them on your own without any help from me?” Sam came around the table and pushed me down into a chair. “While we’re waiting for the cake to cool you can open your presents! Most of it is kind of useful I guess so I made sure you get you something _fun_.”

“The last fun thing you got me ran on batteries,” I reply dryly.

“I _know_ you enjoy it Lara. The walls aren’t _that_ thick.”

My face is red but I still manage a good retort. “Just revenge, Sam. Sweet, sweet revenge.”

Most of the presents are as useful as she says they are. A new journal, a portable GPS and a new pair of boots that look sturdy. I’m assured they’re fashionable, and I get the impression that new boots might end up being a tradition, and one I don’t mind.

The last gift is the smallest, and I open it not sure what it could actually be. It’s a new smartphone, already charged and ready to go. The wallpaper is a picture of Sam being absolutely breathtaking. I look up at her.

She’s fidgeting, and smiling at me. “You’ve been using the same Star Trek communicator for like the past five years, it’s time you got into the new decade.” 

“Sam, thank you…” I’m going to need her help in figuring this thing out, but just playing around a little I can see she’s gotten mostly everything I need onto it. There’s even an app with archaeology news, and the music app is filled with my favorite artists.

In the wrapping there’s also the charger, the manual and earbuds. The earbuds are pink. I’m not a fan of pink. Greens and blues, earthtones, those are the colours I love the most, but pink? Pink definitely doesn’t suit me. I pick them up.

“Do you like them? The color is cute and they’re supposed to be really high fidelity for the type of headphones they are!” 

And they’re _pink_. But I buck up and give her a big smile. “I love them, Sam. Thank you. You _really_ shouldn’t have.”

“Pfft.” She hugs me, our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces. “Only the best for my bestie.”

I kiss the top of her head. I guess I’m stuck with pink headphones.


	6. Christmas Traditions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually based on a real tradition I picked up from my wife's family.

It’s only natural that we got an apartment together. We’re going to the same university and Lara is the closest friend I have. I don’t like to admit it but she’s kind of my only friend. The only one that counts. Everyone else I know is fun, but kind of distant. Like they don’t want to associate with the party girl outside of the parties and drinking. It kind of makes me feel like an outsider. 

It’s finally winter break and I don’t know how I managed to survive this long. Between the hangovers and the early morning classes I’m probably some new form of zombie. Lara though, Lara doesn’t show it. There are nights I have her out as late as me, and drinking just as much, but by morning she’s fine. She’s like a robot. She kind of just focuses on what she needs to do and gets it done. 

I’m trying to decide what to wear tonight, because no more school so now I can _really_ cut loose, when Lara pokes her head into my room. “What are your plans for Christmas?”

I put down my shirt and turn around. She always gets a little bashful when I’m undressed and it’s really cute, but it’s seriously not like she hasn’t seen it before. “Drunkely yell at my dad over the phone. Why?”

“Well uhm… Roth will be at sea and I don’t really have any plans… I wondered if we could..” She waves her hand around, awkwardly trying to explain with action what she can’t with words. “Decorate the flat and stay in. Do a Christmas with just the two of us.”

It’s so touching in a way that makes my chest constrict. I bounce across the floor and hug her. Roth is really her only family, and there were plenty of times at Boarding school where she was stuck there. And I was too. I actually remember one year where Lara stayed behind because I would have been alone otherwise. “Oh my god, Sweetie! Of course! Leave the decorations to me!”

“I’ll take care of the tree.” I can see the wariness in Lara’s eyes. Leaving the decorations up to me, well I have daddy’s credit card and no compunctions about using it!

By Monday my work is done. Lights are strung across every available surface outside the apartment. Around the windows and the railing. I even hang light up icicles off of the roof, much to Lara’s fretting the whole time I’m doing it. It glitters and sparkles and feels like Christmas! 

It’s not really a religious experience for either of us. Lara’s so practical and both of my parents were really secular. I guess over time Christmas became about us. About Lara and Sam and this bond we share.

The tree looks pretty good, with tinsel and carefully placed lights. Some of the ornaments are hundreds of years old. Winston had brought them over and the look on Lara’s face was a little heart-breaking. I sent that old butler a wonderful thank you card and present, for that.

Still, there’s something missing. I figure out what it is when we’re curled up on the couch together with some hot cocoa, Lara’s nose in her homework. “Get your coat, Lara, we’re going out.”

“Sam, I-”

“Coat!”

Lara sighs. It’s really adorable and I’ve been noticing it a lot more than usual lately. These little adorable things that she does. Like the messy way she ties her hair back before a jog. I really don’t know what I’d do without her in my life.

The weather is horrible but I drag Lara out anyway, grinning at her grumblings. She might grumble but she’s still getting into the car and starting it. She glances at me. “You know I’m only coming along because I don’t trust you to drive in this weather. Where to?”

She doesn’t trust me to drive in any weather. I wrap a car around a pole _one time_ and she never lets me live it down. “You know that you’re lying through your teeth because you’re coming because you love me, Miss Croft.”

Lara looks away from me, but I don’t get a chance to think about that before the car fishtails as she pulls into the street. I make a triumphant sound and she scoffs, straightening us out. I direct her to the place I’d meticulously researched ten minutes ago on Google, and twenty minutes of Christmas Carols on the radio later we’re parked in front of a little out of the way store. 

I get out and wait for Lara to join me on the sidewalk before taking her hand and pulling her inside. It’s an ornament shop, filled to the gills with all kinds of Christmas goodness. Lara looks around in wonderment, and then turns to me. “These are all gorgeous, Sam.”

“I wanted to start a little tradition for us. Neither of us have anything anymore. My Christmases were all spent alone, until you. So I got this idea. Well I read about it online but… “ I pause to take a breath and ignore Lara’s amusement. “What if every year, we get some ornaments to put on the tree. No matter what happens, or if we’re together or apart, we’ll get ornaments. I pick one out for you, you pick one out for me, and we pick one out together for each other.”

Lara’s expression softens and her arms wrap around me. “Oh Sam…”

I beam into her shoulder and reluctantly pull away. “Okay, lets look for the ones for each other first and then meet and pick ours out together!”

Before she can answer I’ve already disappeared into the little shop. There’s everything from M&M ornaments to the really traditionally painted metal ones. I have to pick just the right one for Lara, but I don’t know if I want to go kind of funny or emotional or sweet or what. My natural inclination is to be a little silly. There’s one of a combat boot with a kitten sticking out of it and for some reason I see that and think of her.

Instead I find this really elegant one. It’s green, kind of duo tone, with a swirling design around it. I’m still holding both that and the kitten one when Lara walks up to me.

I glance at her and grin. “I can’t decide…”

“The kitten,” she says, automatically. I read her eyes, and put the kitten back. This was for her, not for me, and I want Lara to know she can be elegant too.

She holds up what she picked out for me, and my heart jumps into my throat. It was a snowflake with a large white center circle. The circle had been blank, but Lara had meticulously drawn in the Japanese symbol for family. The other side had our names, this time in English.

I take it, carefully, and study it through blurry eyes. Maybe it might not mean much to anyone else, but to me it means everything. I’ve always tried to ignore the way she makes me feel, but I look at her and everything is suddenly very clear. Lara is my best friend, my family and I love her so much.


	7. On the Mat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara decides to train Sam. About six months post-game.

Months after my wounds heal, the scars still remain. Physical and mental, not a day goes by that there’s not some reminder of what happened to us on Yamatai. Us, because I can scarcely let Sam out of my sight.

I don’t know if someone is going to grab her, or hurt her. I can’t sleep at night, between the nightmares and the obsessive need to check on her. Sam can’t sleep on her own anyway, so I welcome her into my bed to cling to me in the darkness. I can protect her all the better that way, and maybe she can protect me from the nightmares.

Six months after the Endurance went down, taking family and friends and so many memories with it, I decide that Sam needs to know how to defend herself. She needs to be able to shoot, to swing an axe and disable or kill an assailant. 

I purchase a mat and lay it out on the living area floor while she’s out. Sam is barely through the door when I throw a ratty pair of shorts and a tank top at her. “Change. I’m going to teach you how to throw someone off of you.”

“Lara, I just got in.” She pulls the tank off of her face and wrinkles her nose. It’s cute and almost enough to sway me. Almost. We stare each other down before she sighs and relents, disappearing into her room in order to change.

I’m already in my exercise clothing, it’s similar to what I gave Sam, but of course she comes out wearing pink short shorts and a pink sports bra. It looks really good on her and reminds me of the guilty pleasure I feel when she burrows in against me at night.

“Is this good enough?”

“We’re training, you don’t need to be stylish.”

Sam puts her hand to her heart. “Lara Croft, I _always_ need to be stylish.” 

For the first time in months we’re really bantering again. I think that maybe everything will be all right. “Okay, so you’re stylish and walking down the street.” 

She grins at me and starts strutting across the mat like she’s on the catwalk. Her shorts ride up a little and I nearly forget I’m supposed to be attacking her. I shake my head and pounce on her from behind.

She shrieks and flails, clawing at my hand. It’s momentarily effective but I tighten my grip and hiss in her ear. “Shin, go for my shin.”

Sam breaks free and runs to the couch, picking up a pillow and throwing it at me. “Pretend that was a brick!”

“Good work, Sam!” Grinning, I pull her back onto the mat. “Now we’re going to practice throws. If you can get them off balance you can get away easier.”

I want her safe, I want her close. I never want her out of my line of vision but I have to accept I can’t always be there. I throw her until she’s sore and until she finally manages to get me onto my back. Our faces are so close, her hair dangling down and tickling my cheeks and mouth. We’re both sweaty and out of breath. She shifts, straddling me and my head starts to grow foggy. I can’t stand it for very long before flipping us around, pinning her shoulders into the mat and squeezing my legs on either side of her hips. Now it’s my hair caressing her face. Our lips are so close I can taste her breath.

She half-heartedly tries to throw me off, but I’m stronger and I don’t think she really wants to. Frozen. I’m frozen. I can’t move away, she’s so tantalizing, so close, I _want_ her so _badly_. I can’t move any closer because if I do I’ll lose her and she’s the last thread that keeps me sane.

My willpower starts to crumble as her hips wriggle between mine. One kiss, maybe I can joke about it later when this inevitably goes wrong. Her hand runs up my bare leg and every nerve in my body feels like fire.

Someone knocks loudly at the door and the spell breaks. I’m off of her and on my feet in a few seconds, my hands in my hair to fix the pony-tail that had gotten knocked loose.

I must have looked a sight to the poor delivery man as I open the door. I sign for the package, then rebolt and relock the door after he’s gone. Sam isn’t on the mat anymore, and I close my eyes. I’m worked up and confused about her reactions, but she’s retreated to her room and I can only think the worse.

That night, after a cold shower and a silent meal, I lay in bed alone. I hear my door open and the sound of Sam’s familiar feet as she enters my room. My muscles melt with relief. Sam climbs into bed with me, curling into my side as her hand slides until my shirt. Her fingers begin the familiar tracing of the nasty scar on my stomach. It only takes a few minutes before my tremoring at her touch stops. 

“Lara?”

“Yes, Sam?” My voice is thicker than usual. With a turn of my head I bury my nose into her hair, my lips feather light against the silky strands.

Sam’s hand starts stroking at my hip bone. “Keep teaching me. I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You’re never a burden.” On the bright side, I’m going to save on hot water for the foreseeable future.


	8. The Balcony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the drunk snogging that Lara mentioned in the Fevered Dreams chapter of Scars. No real spoilers present!

I try not to think about it too much when Sam is out this late. I know what she’s doing and while I don’t _like_ it, the reasons are entirely personal. I just think she can do better than the blokes she tries to date. If you can call shagging someone for a few weeks dating. Which is what I tell myself when I think about how it should be me her lips are on.

She’s out with her latest fling tonight, leaving me alone in the flat we’re sharing. Alone with my thoughts. Plenty of time to think of all the ways that I wish I was with her. But I’m not and I’m too scared to ruin our friendship by telling her how I really feel. I have a hard enough time with keeping my feelings off of my face. I’ve gotten really good at poker.

That’s probably why it bothers me so much. I’m jealous. I’m jealous she has it so easy with guys, I’m jealous she’s not here with me, being my best friend. I’m jealous she’s not mine.

My mind keeps going in circles. It does this sometimes, and I can’t concentrate on my studies or homework and I’m trying to find something to inspire me. This bloody paper is like pulling teeth. I give up eventually, pulling my legs up underneath me in my desk chair. I should just go to sleep but I can’t until Sam gets home. She might not even be coming home, but I worry. She thinks I’m a mother hen but someone has to look out for her when she’s on one of her wild streaks.

She’s probably the only thing keeping me from starving to death in a library somewhere, so I suppose for every time I mother hen her, she makes me socialize.

It’s nearly three AM when I hear someone stumbling around in the living room. I wait a few minutes, then come out of the bedroom to see if she’s alone. I don’t see her at first, until I look into the tiny kitchen and see her on the balcony leaning on the railing. Her shoulders are shaking.

I don’t really know what to do. I want to find whoever made her cry and hit them. I can’t leave her alone, so I come closer, opening the sliding glass door and then closing it quietly behind me. I touch Sam’s shoulder and she jerks away from me. I touch her again, this time gripping her shoulder so she can’t pull away. With my other hand I turn her face towards mine.

Tears streak her cheeks. Her eyes are reddened and puffy, and she looks at me with the most forlorn expression I’ve ever seen. Crushing her against me, I bury my face in her soft hair. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

Her words are slurred, and she meanders through her story. Her boyfriend, Blake or Brock or something like that, had gotten her pretty snockered. “I guess he thought that I’d put out for all his friends. Like I was … this ...passed around..” She hiccups and I hold her tighter. I listen to her call herself all these names and these horrible things and when I try to tell her none of that’s true she grabs my face. “M’bad for you. I’m jus’ gonna get you into trouble. Jus’ gonna have my rep all rub off on you. I don’t.. I don’t understand Lara. I don’t understand why you put up with me!”

“You’re a good person. There’s nothing wrong with having fun. I’ve...always thought you respected yourself. That you didn’t give a damn what anyone thought.”

“I care what _you_ think…” She sniffles as I wipe tears from her face. “I’m a slut and a ho and you just put up with me because you’re nice.”

“That’s not true!” I force her to look at me. Her eyes are bleary and I don’t know if she’ll remember any of this in the morning. “I love you. You’re my best friend, more than that you’re _family._ I’d be at a loss without you. And you’re _not_ a slut.”

I can see I’m not getting through to her. She’s trying to pull away and there’s this expression on her face like I’ve never seen before. I’m scared she’d going to try to drunkenly break off our friendship and I admit I’m not thinking clearly because it’s not like she’d remember she did that. Or that I’d let her do it. But I don’t want to hear it and I want to get through to her and my lips crash into hers.

There’s a moment where neither of us move, but it doesn’t last before her mouth opens to accept mine and she all but squirms into my lap.

My intoxication has nothing to do with what she’s been drinking, but that thought starts to pull me out of it. I try to break the kiss but her hands slide into my shirt and my own fingers betray me as I do the same to her. I need to feel her, I need to touch her. The sounds she’s making, oh my god, it’s one thing through the walls of our flat but this is something different altogether. I have to stop this, I’ve already let it get too far.

She’s drunk, she’s so out of it that she can’t possibly know what she’s doing. I grab hold of that thought and let it pull me out of my needy fog. I turn my head to get air, and gently take her hands out of my clothing. The cold empty feeling of their absence is painful. 

Pinning Sam’s arms at her side, I hug her, tucking her head under my chin and rocking her. I feel _terrible._ “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

But she’s asleep. I hold her awhile longer, before I carefully carry her to her bed. I’m turning to leave when I feel her finger in my waistband, pulling me back. “Don’t go. You’re the only one who ever…”

I sit on the bed and stroke my fingers through Sam’s soft hair. “Okay. I’ll stay. I wouldn’t want to miss this hangover.”

She says very quietly and with great enthusiasm, “Yay…!”


	9. Victoria's Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara Croft + Lingerie shop. What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place about a month before the start of Scars.

I think I’m prepared. I have everything I need, and as I stare at the entrance I have to draw up my courage. _Dig deep, Lara. You can do this. You’re a Croft._

Walking through the door, I’m assaulted by the overpowering scent of flowery perfume. It really isn’t that bad but I’m unprepared, especially in light of what greets my eyes. Lingerie and naughty knickers, as far as the eye can see. I’m standing on checkerboard tiles, trying not to stare at everything. I don’t belong here. I didn’t before and I certainly don’t now.

I’ve only been to Victoria’s Secret once before, when Sam dragged me inside to look for ‘just the right thing’ for the guy she just insisted was going to last. There’s _nothing_ quite like watching the best friend you fancy pick out scandalous undergarments to wear for someone else.

Thinking about that strengthens my resolve. The romantic portion of our relationship is still new and frightening. This will be our first Valentine’s together as a couple. I never really paid attention to the holiday. Frankly I find the whole thing to be extravagant and stupid, but I got it into my head that I want to surprise her with something unexpected. Knowing her she already has something planned.

I swallow my nerves and turn past a mannequin with a scrap of cloth that they laughably call panties. 

Someone approaches on my left and I tell myself they’re not a threat. It’s a woman, middle-aged and dark hair. Behind her glasses are stunning blue eyes. Her nametag says ‘Rosalind.’ She flashes me a smile, and speaks so quickly I have a hard time keeping up. “Can I help you with anythin’, duck? Lookin’ for somethin’ special?”

“Uhm.” I’m not at my most eloquent when embarrassed like this. “Just...just looking around.” My hand gestures around at the assorted clothing, and she puts an arm around me and guides me towards another section. I let myself be led along, helpless. 

Rosalind pats my back. “Don’t be so nervous! It’s just knickers. Fancy knickers an’ we both know they won’t stay on you for long, but that’s half the fun isn’t it? So think about what your bloke likes an’ then we’ll find somethin’ that’ll go really good with your eyes an’ skin.”

“Girl,” I correct, flushing. “I have a girlfriend.” Just saying that makes me feel dizzy. It’s really the first time I’ve acknowledged it aloud to myself, let alone to another person. Rosalind makes me feel somewhat safe, at least, on that subject.

To her credit, Rosalind doesn’t even bat an eye. “What’s your bird’s favorite colour, then?”

“She likes purples and reds. Really anything that’s sparkling will please her. I want something that’s...soft. I’m more of the outdoorsy type but I think she’ll like it if I think about that.” I don’t know if I want to go really … crazy, here. Something a little traditional and elegant would suit me just fine. It’s for Sam.

“Well, you _are_ a bit on the butch side, duckie. _Love_ the boots.” She reaches behind me and pulls out a purple babydoll. It’s not too lacy, but it’s a little bit elegant. The top part is in a halter style, which I already know will make Sam’s jaw hit the floor. I touch the fabric and grin. “Oh, this has to be the one.” I still want to sink through the floor just being here, but I’m more relaxed than I was five minutes ago.

“Lets find you a proper pair of knickers to go with this.” She pulls me towards another section, and I start to feel like I need air. The woman moves so fast it’s hard to keep up with her.

I veto the first five panties she picks out. She gives me an eyeroll when I pick the most conservative pair she shows me. It’s still more like something Sam would wear than me and I start to second guess the whole idea.

Rosalind seems to sense this and gently touches my arm. “Y’love her right?”

“Of course.”

“You’re goin’ through a lot of effort with this, an’ you’re clearly not comfortable. But you’re thinkin’ of her an’ doin’ this for her, so just think how much she’s goin’ to appreciate it. It doesn’t have to mean you’re bein’ someone else.”

She hits the nail on the head and I smile sheepishly. “I just want her to know how special she is to me.”

“I doubt you need to go this far,” Rosalind says truthfully. “But I’m not about to talk you out of a sale! Lets get you checked out, an’ then I know a place that sells the best chocolate in London.”

“Chocolate is a good call,” I tell her. Once again we go through the sections of lingerie, and once again I try not to stare at everything. 

She rings me up and I swipe my card without really paying attention to the price. I probably don’t want to know. After Rosalind hands me the bag and gives me directions for the chocolate shop, I smile at her. “Thank you. You made this a lot less awkward of a shopping trip than I thought it would be.”

The woman laughs. “Thank me after she’s shagged you senseless.”


	10. Playing Dress Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sam gets Lara ready for a fancy dress ball at Uni.

Lara is kind of helpless in situations like this, but that’s why she has me. I have to push her into the shower and shove a razor into her hand, before retreating to her bedroom to lay out the dress I’d bought for her. She doesn’t know about it yet, and she’s going to flip a biscuit when she sees it but I don’t care. It’s this big dress ball thing and my best friend is going to be the sexiest woman there. After yours truly, of course.

I’m mostly ready to go. I just need to get my shoes on and finish my makeup, but Lara takes priority. She comes into the bedroom and I pull her over to the bed. “Drop the towel, Lara.”

She’s eyeing the dress, and then looking at me. I can see the argument in her eyes before she opens her mouth. “Sam, how much did this cost?”

“It hardly cost anything.” I yank the towel off of her and she starts to cover herself before she remembers it’s just me. I don’t really mind. She’s gorgeous, especially when she blushes. Or is red with anger, I can’t really tell right now.

“Your ‘hardly costs anything’ is more than some peoples’ salaries.” Before Lara can protest further I shove some panties and a bra into her hands. She looks at them, and her face turns redder. Ah, embarrassment. If I can keep her off balance I can have her ready to go before she realizes it.

“It’s already paid for, now put those on and let me see you.” I step back, hands on hips as I patiently wait for her to pull her underwear on. She gives me one more glare before she does so and I grin. “Okay that’s hot.”

“No one is going to _see_ them, I don’t see the point in wearing something like this!” She sounds exasperated so I sigh extra-dramatically at her.

“Lara, just think about being all sexy and confident and you’re the only one who knows you’re wearing that stuff.”

She rolls her eyes and looks down at her bra while fixing it. “You mean besides you?”

I’m kind of glad she’s not looking at me because I catch myself staring as she jiggles around. “Knowing that we’re the two hottest women in the room is fucking awesome.” I suddenly need air and I walk to the window and open it a little bit. “Okay now get that dress on.”

Lara picks it up and starts looking for the price tag. I smack her in the shoulder. “Oh come on like I’d leave it on. Put the dress on, Lara Croft, or so help me I’ll…”

“You’ll do what, spank me?” She turns and looks at me, one eyebrow quirked. She’s standing with the dress hanging off of one hand while her other is on her hip. 

My mouth is dry and I lift my head defiantly. “Yeah.”

It’s like some kind of twisted Mexican standoff. Like Lara is trying to decide if she wants to push the matter and me standing there wondering if I can actually go through with it. Of course I’ll do it but my mind keeps running around in increasingly perverted circles and I’m going to need a stiff drink before we even get to the dance.

Lara breaks first, and starts to pull the dress on. I let out the breath I’d been holding and help her zip it up. It’s a dark blue, with her shoulders exposed and just enough cleavage to make her breathtaking. I rub my hands up and down her shoulders, then sit her down.

Now that the awkward is over, it’s time to break out the make-up kit. I lean over her and start to apply some base. “You just sit there and let me sex you up.”

Lara’s eyes don’t quite meet mine. They dip down in that way when one of my dates is trying to not stare at my breasts or my lips or whatever body part they liked to fixate on. Get a grip, Sam. Wishful thinking.

I have to be careful with make-up and Lara. She doesn’t like wearing much and she never really needs all that much. The work comes in being subtle, which takes a lot longer than you’d think. And Lara is sitting there impatiently. “How much longer?”

“Just a few more minutes, then we’ll do your hair.”

“Sam, we have to be there in an hour!”

I pfft at her. That’s plenty of time. “You worry too much. Take a look in the mirror.” I hold one up and watch her reaction closely. She bites her lip,then sets the mirror down.

“I’ll never understand how you’re so good at that.”

“Lots of practice, sweetie.” She starts to stand but I push her back down. My hand lingers on her chest too long before I pull it away but I don’t think she noticed. “Nuh uh. I’m still sexing you up. We’re so not done yet.”

Again her face colors. I ignore it, because I don’t have a choice. How the hell can I tell her I’m crushing on her? Instead I focus on braiding her hair and then wrapping the braids so that they’re on top of her head and fixed into place with some pins.

“Perfect!”

It think she’s impressed. It might be a little frilly but it’s out of the way frilly and Lara appreciates that. “Thank you. What would I do without you?”

“Look terrible, probably.”


	11. Christmas Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara and Sam's first Christmas as a couple. Set between Lessons and Scars.

I always forget that letting Sam handle the Christmas decorations is a bit like handing crayons to a child and telling her to go wild. The flat looks like Santa’s Sled exploded all over it. There’s tinsel everywhere and garland strung off of every conceivable surface. Everything glitters.

And the lights. I’m terrified of what the light bill is going to be. The living room ls cast in red and oranges and greens, and lights run around the ceiling, and into the hallway. I can guess that she’s put lights in every room. Blinking, flashing lights. She’s lucky neither of us has epilepsy.

The tree though, is mostly bare. She’s gotten the lights up on it, but the topping is missing and none of the ormaments have been hung up. Sam’s sitting on the couch, wearing a green holiday hat and a pair of green short shorts. Like she’s Santa’s sexy elf. 

“Where did you get that outfit?” I lean down and her hand tangles in my hair as we kiss. “You better not be sitting in any laps.”

“Just yours, sweetie.” She pats the couch next to her and I sit down. She has the boxes of our ornaments open on the coffee table and I reach over to pick up a cat, turning it over in my hands. It was what she picked out for me the first year we started our ornament tradition. In the years since we’ve added several others. The Christmas after Yamatai are the simplest ornaments, both frosted glass. I had wanted to skip it but Sam insisted we get something, like a promise for better times to come. I guess she’d been right. Each year gets a little easier.

“I’ve been waiting for you to get home, so we can do the tree together. It’s kind of our first tree. Together. _Together_ together.”

She doesn’t need to emphasize together but I understand. It’s a little terrifying and I wonder if it will always be terrifying. Her hand slips into mine and it’s warm. “We need to find the perfect places for each ornament.”

“New one last,” she insists, when my hand goes to the biggest ornament on the table. It’s our first year, our first tree together, and we’d picked one out together. Blown glass in bands and ribbons, forming an endless series of knots. Unending, with no breaks. 

It had appealed to me as a symbol of our relationship. A symbol of us making each other whole. I pick it up anyway. “No. This one first. It’s...it’s us and that should always come first.”

“Lara, you’re a sap.” Her eyes are glistening and I tug her to her feet. “But I won’t tell anyone so your rep is safe.”

I feel a pain in my chest, deep and sudden just then and wrap my free arm around her, hugging her as though she might float away. She snuggles in, and we stand like that for awhile, before I remember the tree. We put the ornament up together, and then one by one the rest of the special ornaments go up. I'm extra careful with Sam's snowflake. It has our names and the kanji for family.

Last is the star. It’s gold and silver and very old. Roth had bought it from an antique shop when I was a child. It almost feels like he’s watching over us.

I make some hot cocoa and settle on the couch. Sam bounces away from the window and all but crashes into the couch next to me. “It’s snowing!” She rests her head on my shoulder and snuggles in llike she’s done on other Christmases, but this time it’s different. I love her, and I’m allowed to say it. “Remember the cabin?”

We’d tried to escape our memories and gotten snowed in for nearly a week. “Yes. Do you have any idea how close I came to telling you I loved you?”

“I wish you had.” Sam’s wistful tone makes me feel a little guilty, but she adds, “But you didn’t, and now I know anyway and we won’t waste any more time.”

I take a sip of my cocoa. The lights around the flat blink to their unheard music, and the tree looks more full than it has since we started our tradition. Each ornament is a memory, some better than others and all taken together they tell the story of Sam and I. From carefree friends to family, to shellshocked victims to lovers

She’s right. I really am a sap.


	12. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boarding School. Lara reacts to Sam's first time.

I’m not really enjoying this event. It’s one of those joint dances with the boys school, but I really shouldn’t have come. I’m not comfortable in my dress, and I’ve only danced once. With Sam. But she’s disappeared after an older boy cut in and left me alone to try to fend his friends off like a pack of wolves. So the highlight of my evening was pretty much near the beginning and it’s gotten worse since.

I escape to the gardens outside, letting the breeze cool my skin and hugging myself, feeling generally miserable. Lesson learned, next time stay in and read. I don’t know where Sam is, but out here there are no chaperones. I can be alone with my thoughts. 

So I walk, and walk, and really I’m going to kill Sam for leaving me like this. My anxiety gradually abates, and that’s about when I hear the giggle. I’d recognize that giggle anywhere and I walk down a path and peer through some bushes. There’s Sam, and she’s snogging that boy which is bad enough because she’s _my_ Sam and what’s she doing with someone else making her make those sounds? But then she makes a pained noise. 

Oh.

_Oh my god._

I back away quietly as the reality of the situation sinks in. She just met him. She just _met_ him what does she think she’s doing?!

 _It’s not like anyone pays attention to me anyway,_ she’d told me like last week. Is that what this is? Some boy showers her with attention and she just latches onto it like a life raft? What about me? Don’t I count? I know that’s selfish but I don’t care, I don’t want to share her!

I need to get back to our room, I need to figure this out. Why is this feeling so _unfair_. But then I see one of the teachers walking down the path. If Sam gets caught they’ll probably expel her. I’ll never _see_ her again. The thought makes me panic. I don’t know what’ll happen to her. I don’t know what’ll happen to _me_. I hardly have any friends as it is and Sam clawed her way so far into my heart that if she’s ripped away she’ll probably take it with her.

I let out a breath and approach the teacher to distract her from what my friend is doing. _Samantha Nishimura, you owe me._

Once the immediate crisis is over I rush back to our room. It’s just the two of us and I kind of wish it was just me right now because I want to throw things and cry. I don’t do either, and just curl up in bed with a textbook. 

Sam sneaks in an hour or so later. She’s flushed and grinning, and she looks _so happy_ that my angry words die on my tongue. I really should yell at her, for giving it up to some boy she barely knows. She hops onto the bed next to me and throws my book over to her bed, before wrapping her arms around me. “Oh my god Lara you’ll never guess what happened!”

Muffled by her shoulder, I respond, “Try me?” 

She talks about him and about how amazing shagging is and yes she used a condom and where the hell did she get one of those anyway? But she’s just so happy that I don’t have the heart to yell at her for it. All I want for her is to be happy. If this makes her happy then what right do I have to stop her? As long as she’s smart about it anyway, I’m going to have a long talk about that with her and--

Sam kisses my cheek. “And anyway you’re totally sneaking out with me tomorrow night for a double date.”

“I’m what?!”

“Don’t worry! I told him you wouldn’t put out because you’re kind of old fashioned and looking for the ‘one’ and he just laughed until I glared at him.”

“Sam, I’m,” I’m what, exactly? Not interested, I’m not at all interested.

“It’ll be fun. Please Lara? I don’t want to go alone.” She gives me the puppy eyes and I relent. But I don’t let go of her all night. 

We manage to sneak out the next night, but the double-date is horrid all around. My date is handsy and his breath stinks and he doesn’t know the definition of the word no until I knee him in the balls. 

Sam and her boyfriend only last a couple more weeks before I catch him snogging another girl. I knee him in the balls too. It breaks my heart when I tell her, and utterly shatters it as I hold her while she cries.

I decide that I’m always going to support her, smiling or crying. She’s my family. And if I end up developing a bit of a ballbreaker reputation by the time we get to Uni so be it.


	13. A little too much to drink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara's drunk, Sam is buzzed, and Sam has way less self-control than the brunette.

Lara’s drunk. It’s kind of funny. She’s dancing around to the radio, stripped down to nondescript black panties and her sports bra. Which doesn’t match at all, as I’ve pointed out to her about three times now. Four times. I think. I’m a little buzzed myself. I’m on my third drink.

But why shouldn’t she dance around like a drunk idiot? She’s got the bod for it and we just got our grades back for the semester and both did so awesome. I couldn’t have done it without her. She’s amazing, and I’ve never seen her cut loose like this before. It’s fascinating. Maybe too fascinating but I’ve been trying to ignore that. 

She dances closer, and snatches my beer. I scramble after her and fall into her trap as she pulls me into the ‘dance’ floor with her. “Dance with me Sam.”

“Since I’m never going to get you like this in public I’m going to take advantage of it while I can,” I reply. This makes her laugh harder than is strictly necessary, before she buries her nose against my shoulder.

I really shouldn’t be imagining pulling her bra off right now, but once my mind seizes on the idea it won’t let it go. She’s pressed against me and I regret teaching her how to dance like this because it’s distracting. 

Lara nuzzles her lips against my ear. “Taking advantage of me, Sam?” Her voice is low and throaty and sends vibrations all the way down, making my knees weak and coiling a spring in my stomach. She might as well be asking me to take advantage, the way she said it. I have her bra off and in my hand before I realize what I’m doing.

Then Lara pushes me against the wall, her lips crushing mine, her knee between my legs and I’m gone. I’m just so fucking gone. The last time we kissed I’d been the drunk one and now the roles are reversed, except I have no willpower and I’m pretty sure I’m way more into Lara than she’s into me. 

I push her off and towards the couch. She flops onto her back and laughs. She’s just laying there, topless and looking up at me with this unnerving desire in her eyes. 

I like to have fun. It never really matters to me if it’s with a man or not, as long as we both get off and enjoy ourselves. I never seem to attract anyone who wants to be around for longer than a few weeks or a month. There’s just _Lara_.

The thought starts to sober me up a little. Oh, I’m looking and I’m going to commit this to memory but I can’t fuck this up with her. I’ve about talked myself out of what I really, really want to do when she says my name. It’s like a command and that spring tightens. I straddle her hips and kiss her throat and her chest and then she pulls my head up for another kiss. My hands are becoming intimately acquainted with her abs and breasts and I feel like I’m losing my mind.

I pull back so hard that I fall off the couch and nearly hit my head on the coffee table. She looks down at me and I look up at her, then scramble to my feet and run into my bedroom. The distance between us is like cold air. It’s great for cooling me down but fucking horrible because her body isn’t plastered against mine any more.

Lara could knock on that door and I’d let her in and we’d make a terrible, wonderful mistake together. I almost pray for her to knock, but for whatever reason it doesn’t happen. The only thing I can do is work out my frustrations, my voice muffled by my pillow.

The apartment is quiet when I emerge. Lara is still on the couch, still mostly naked. I’m a little more sober and there’s more sense in my head but I still trace her collarbone as I put a blanket over her. I pick up an empty bottle and put it on the table.

She grabs my hand and I look into puffy, reddened eyes. Her words slur. “We’re okay, Sam? We’re okay? I don’t want… don’t want us not okay.”

“Yeah! Sweetie, we’re okay!” I squeeze her hand, relieved. “We’ll always be okay. No matter what. Promise.”


	14. New Years Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Lara try a New Years party some time after Yamatai. Set a few months before In This Together.

So this New Year there’s this big party at this guy’s house and naturally I’m invited so I drag Lara out. I think she lets me because she’s trying to return to normal. God knows I am. I even get her in this little black dress and I’ve got a silver one that sort of matches. We look so fucking hot together it’s stupid. 

Lara, of course, finds a corner to hide in but she can only hide so long before I find her and pull her over to where everyone is dancing. It’s fun, it’s a little hot, and I’m seriously entertaining the idea of kissing her at midnight. It’s not like she’s going to find anyone, we’re both too damaged for that. Even in Uni, almost every time I set her up on a date she’d come home early. I figured she just can’t put up with inane bullshit and was all ‘screw you guys, I’m going home’. 

Which doesn’t explain how she puts up with _my_ inane bullshit but I’ll take what I can get. The fact that I managed to get us both out and interacting with people after the island is a miracle. 

It’s getting close to midnight when I have to flee to pee. By the time I get back to the party Lara’s back in her corner again. Except this time she’s sucking face with someone. Lara’s making out with someone and I feel my stomach drop out from under me. 

Fuck me I’m _jealous_. I know I have a crush on her but it’s not something I let myself go with because It’s Lara and she’s my family. You don’t crush on your family, it’s just...I don’t know. But I’ve gotten myself kind of psyched up to the idea of kissing her at midnight. It’s a good excuse and if things go weird we can always blame the alcohol again. That’s me, not thinking clearly.

I’m so not thinking clearly that I march right over and pull the guy off of my friend. I expect her to yell at me but she just gives me this relieved look as I take her outside.

“Thanks for that. It was like snogging a live fish but I didn’t know how to...get out of it. Without...” She waves a hand and I assume she means ‘violence.’ Her body language is stiff, and I can feel how tense she is. Like she was just holding herself back. It’s probably progress that she was willing to give it a shot, but then it occurs to me that OH HO SAM IS THE HERO! I hug her and let her think that was the entirety of my motivation. “Come on, we can’t see the river from here but I’ll bet we can get a good view of the fireworks if we get up onto the roof. We can escape the crowd, I know there’s only so much you can take.”

“Fall and break our necks, you mean?”

“Exactly. But I’ve seen you climb, we’ll be fine.”

By some miracle we make it onto a nearby roof. The view is pretty unobstructed from here and I feel Lara’s fingers thread into my own. I scoot closer for warmth. “ Never thought you were the random make-out sort, Lara.”

“I’m not, I just…” She shrugged a shoulder and from her expression she’s struggling to find an explanation. “I felt lonely. You’re so good at enjoying yourself and…I’m not.”

I still remember her ‘I’m not impressed’ face after she came back from her first time with a guy and I giggle. “You enjoy yourself in different ways. That’s okay. You know, I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you try to do anything with a guy since...you know. I haven’t even been able to.”

She shrugs a shoulder and slides her left arm around my waist. The first firework goes up and she asks, “Didn’t you want a New Years kiss from someone?” 

Tangling my fingers in her hair, I pull her head down in answer. There are fireworks, both literally and figuratively. It’s almost aggressive how her lips move against mine and the way the tension ebbs out of her makes my stomach flutter. We miss most of the show by the time we come up for air. Lara ducks her head bashfully, and I rest mine on her shoulder. My lips still tingle and Lara isn’t pulling away. In fact she hugs me closer. I wonder how long we’ll be able to continue pretending this attraction between us doesn’t exist. It’s not just hero worship on my part. It’s...more. It’s definitely more.

“Happy New Years, Sam.”

I make my resolution then and there.

“Happy New Years, Lara.”


	15. Rule34 of the Internet is....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam discovers that rule34 includes real people, even famous archaeologists and their girlfriends. She tries to keep it from Lara...

One of the things that I started doing as Lara’s name got more and more famous is pay attention to what people are saying. Mostly it’s just your usual paparazzi shit, but she’s got a large following of girls. She blushes and just shrugs it off when I tell her how important it is for her to be a role-model, but I think she secretly likes it.

I’m actually trolling through one of those forums when I follow a link. It’s the cardinal rule of the internet - never click that link, but I click it anyway because that’s how I roll.

It takes me to a really well drawn picture of Lara and me. Naked and wrapped around each other and explicitly detailed. You can see our hoo-hahs and everything!

It’s really kind of hot but oh my god Lara is going to _freak._ There’s a whole bunch of this stuff, but that’s the internet. I mean, if you want to find porn of something you can. I just never really thought that someone would want to draw real people but there you go, I’m so proven wrong.

We’re not even the only ones. I start digging around and there’s art and even fanfics about all kinds of celebrities. I get drawn into this world of celebrity fantasy and after a few hours I have this folder filled with documents and pictures of Lara, and me, and okay a few photoshopped naked hotties shut up.

Some of these are really good. Ridiculous good. Like people are putting hours and hours of their lives into making _porn_ of us and on one hand that’s kind of creepy but on the other hand it’s fucking _awesome_! I’m kinda stoked and flattered. It’s this huge boost to my ego and if you ask anyone that’s the last thing I really need.

I’m reading this really...stupid (hot) thing about an ancient fertility ritual when I hear the door open. I try to alt tab out of it but end up on one of the pictures and I’m frantically trying to find a window that doesn’t have Lara’s hot bod on it as she comes into the room. “Sam? I brought us some take-out.”

I slam the laptop shut and swivel in my chair. “Sweetie!” Launching towards her, I wrap my arms around her and give her a smootch. She’d _die_ if she saw what was on my computer. Literally melt through the floor out of embarrassment. It’s my duty as her girlfriend to protect her, right?

She peels my arms off of her shoulders and gives me a suspicious look. Uh oh.

“What were you looking at when I came in?”

“Nothing!” I answer too quickly and I know it, but full steam ahead! “It’s nothing. Just..I ‘m planning a surprise. You don’t need to see the surprise yet.” Oh great, now I had to come up with something later on. But I’m me and that won’t be hard.

She steps around me and I move between her and the laptop. She eyes me, with this smirk on her face that I try to ignore because _rwar_. I’ve fallen for her feint because she lifts me up and throws me over her shoulder. Sure, I have a great view of her ass before she dumps me on the bed, but then she’s opening my laptop.

Lara makes a sound in the back of her throat that makes my ears ring. I look around her to see what she’s looking at and I wince. It had to be on that one, didn’t it. “So uhm. Do you wanna try that out? That looks like a lot of fun!”


	16. Many Zeros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: When Sam first finds out that Lara is ridiculously rich with a manor and a butler but refuses to touch the money and works three jobs instead.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“Sam!” I cringe, holding my hands up as she pushes me so hard I fall onto the bed. “Watch your mouth!”

“I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me!” She pounces, straddling me and looking down at me like I’m some kind of bizarre creature. She waves a statement in front of my face as though emphasizing her point. “Like I knew you had money but goddamn!” 

I try to snatch it back but she holds it up out of my reach. “Give me that, why are you looking through my mail?”

“Because it’s been sitting on your desk forever and someone has to open it. Do you see all these zeros?” She pushes it at me and points. There are...actually quite a few zeros there. More than I’d realized. “Look at all these zeros, Lara. All these zeros and you’re working at the bar and you’ve got that job down at the bakery pushing donuts on people.”

“I just got hired for the holiday rush at-” I get smacked by the paper as Sam makes an exasperated sound.

“Okay a _third_ job now! I’ll never get to see you. What the fuck?” She flings the statement away and looks genuinely upset. “I’m never going to get to _see you_ now! I don’t understand. I know you said you wanted to earn your way but you have more money than god! You could be in Cambridge right now. Why are you even here?!”

She already answered her question, but I clarify it for her. “I can’t ride on my father’s money. If I can’t do this on my own then I don’t _deserve_ it. I could buy my way to a degree with my father’s money and connections at Cambridge. It wouldn’t even be that difficult. It would be really easy. But I’d never be able to look myself in the mirror again.”

My arms wrap around her shoulders and I tug her down. “Besides, I wanted to be with you.”

She sniffles against my neck. “If you’re working three jobs then how can you be with me?”

“Sleep is for the weak,” I respond, and she laughs. She props herself up and I get an eyeful. Thankfully she doesn’t notice where I’m staring. 

“Lara, is there absolutely anything else you need to tell me about your money?”

I look up at the ceiling instead of her, but she grabs my chin and forces me to look at her. “Ah...well there is one thing.”

“Yeah?”

“I have a mansion.”

“A mansion.”

“Yes. The butler cares for it.”

She’s silent for a moment and I can’t tell if she’s seething or if she’s just in shock. Finally she rolls off of me, then throws my jacket into my face. “You’re gonna show me your mansion and I’m gonna meet your butler.”

“Sam, I really don’t like going there.”

“Get the keys or I’m driving.”

I never got my boots on that quickly before, and I have to race down to the car before she can get into the driver’s seat. I’m thinking of the safety of all the other drivers out there on the road. “Okay! Okay, I’ll take you to the manor.”

Sam nods at me, then slips into the passenger seat as I buckle in. As I start the car, she puts her hand on my arm. “Hey.”

I look at her hand, then at her face. 

“I know I’m being a pain but it’s your birthright. Your home. You shouldn’t hide it away from people.”

A chuckle escapes my throat as I back out. “Sam, you’re my home now. Where I live doesn’t matter, as long as it’s with you. I’d much rather make new memories than relive old, painful ones.”

“Maybe this is a start, Lara.” Sam leans over and kisses my cheek. “Make some new memories.”

She's right. Maybe Sam can give me good memories of that place. But the money fight we have two days later will definitely not be forgotten.


	17. Playing Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt! For okh-eshivar: "Lara comes home after work at the nine bells pub bloodied with a cut through her eyebrow and Sam has to wash her up. (cos her pre-yamatai concept art has an eyebrow scar) :3"

“What the _actual_ fuck?” The words spew out of my mouth the second Lara comes through the front door. It’s not the first time my friend has made me say those words in some variation, but tonight? Oh tonight she’s earned them.

She stands in the door, looking at me sheepishly. She usually wears a grey and white shirt when she’s bartending. It’s hot on her, tight in the right places with the Nine Bells’ logo on the back. But there are fresh bloodstains all over it. Her hair is matted to her head and there’s a nasty gash on her eyebrow and she’s going to have a shiner in that eye tomorrow. I’m not even sure how she made it home like this. Or why she wasn’t at the _hospital_. “Sam. I can explain…”

“Are you _kidding_ me?” I grab her and pull her into the bathroom before she bleeds all over our carpet. My stomach is fluttering in a way where I’m not sure if I’m going to throw up of if I want to hit her. It looks like she got hit enough though and mostly I’m worried sick.

“Your shirt…” I sit Lara on the toilet and then look down. I’m wearing a shirt by Vivienne Westwood that cost me nearly three hundred pounds and it’s stained with Lara’s blood. 

It’s completely ruined, so I just pull it off and toss it in the tub. “Don’t worry about it. We need to get you washed up. God you’re going to need _stitches_! What happened?”

I need to get her talking because me and blood don’t get along and I’m going to faint. I already feel light headed as I press a wet cloth against her forehead.

“I’ll buy you a new one….”

“Lara.”

“Sam.”

I press the cloth harder against her head and get rewarded with an ow. She kicks me lightly in the foot. “I had to break up a little tiff at the bar.”

“A little tiff? You look like you just walked out of a warzone!” I feel something in her cut and pull out a piece of glass. The bathroom suddenly spins around me and the next thing I see is the ceiling.

“Sam!”

“I’m okay! Stay seated!” I pull myself up and take a few deep breaths. “It was just a piece of glass.”

“I’m not going to the doctor.” Stubborn Lara is stubborn and I glare at her. My bra is getting ruined too so that joins my shirt in the tub. Lara suddenly goes quiet and I think maybe I can do this. How many really gory movies have I watched? All of them, practically. This is...well it’s different but it doesn’t have to be.

Lara’s face doesn’t take long to clean up and she hisses a little when I spray some antiseptic into her cut, but she seems distracted. She’s being such a good girl that I’m going to have to get her a lollipop. Maybe get me a lollipop, because this isn’t really that bad now that I’ve got the hang of it. We have this tape stuff that can hold it closed and I finish by liberally wrapping her head in a bandage.“You’re going to have the _sexiest_ scar. I’m so jealous.”

She just nods at me as I carefully pull her to her feet and help her get her shirt and bra off. I start to undo her belt and she grabs my hands. “Sam, what are you doing?”

“Are you dizzy?”

“A little, but-”

“Then I’m going to help you clean off and you’re going to let me, sweetie.” I use my sweetest matter-of-fact voice as I yank her belt out of the loops. As if proving my point, she suddenly wobbles and has to grab onto the sink to stay upright. “Behave and you’ll get a lollipop.”

Twenty awkward and slightly arousing minutes later, we’re both clean. I get Lara into a shirt and tuck her into bed with an icepack for her bruise. It’s a lot more noticeable now but at least her cut is taken care of. I brush my fingers through her hair and I’m rewarded with her dorkiest smile. 

“So you never told me what happened.” I curl up alongside her, and feel her body press against mine.

“This bloke was getting too friendly with one of the girls. I told him to back off so he made some lewd remarks about me.” Lara shrugs her shoulder like that was nothing. And it really was, she usually didn’t let that get to her. “When he tried to get grabby with her I twisted his hand around. That’s when he broke the beer bottle.”

“ _Tell_ me he looks worse than you do?”

Lara grins at me, her fingers finding my hair. “ _He_ went to the hospital.”


	18. Something Domestic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara and Sam's laundry habits don't always mesh well.

There are some things I like done a particular way. Sam always found it funny that my desk could be in a state of disarray yet my bed be made with military precision. Try being raised by a man like Conrad Roth and then get back to me about making the bed.

This was never really an issue until recently. Sam could keep her bed as messy as she wanted and I could happily make mine the way Roth drilled it into me. At least that was the way it was until we moved from friendship to relationship and started sleeping together. Now we are discovering new and interesting quirks about each other that we’ve never noticed before. Like the way Sam does laundry. It makes absolutely no logical sense and I don’t know why I let her do that except that we like to split the chores.

I’m watching my girlfriend haphazardly pull the sheets out of the dryer and _try_ to fold them. I emphasize the word try, because she’s doing it all wrong. I can count the ways she’s doing it wrong and finally I have to _say_ something. “Sam, that’s not how you fold the sheets.”

“They’re just sheets, Lara. They don’t need to be _perfect_.” Sam, of course, doesn’t understand. Why should she? She had someone to do all this for her as a child and didn’t have a sailor and former military man instill proper bed-making behaviour in her.

“Yes, they do! And while we’re on the subject you’re _never_ allowed to make the bed again.” It took me an extra twenty minutes this morning to undo the damage she’d done. I walked up to her and took the sheet out of her hands. “Just hold these two ends, and fold as I fold. It’s easier with two people anyway.”

She rolls her eyes at me but plays along. We get the first sheet folded together, but it’s off a few inches. I give her a dirty look and show her how to properly align the edges. She messes it up on purpose, I’m pretty sure. After the third time, I smack her with a pillow case and she laughs at me.

I’m torn between throttling her or kissing her. I settle for thwapping her with the pillow case again. “That’s it, _Samantha Nishimura_. You’re asking for it.”

Her eyes light up as she leans in, her voice dropping to a purr. “Oooh that’s my full name, I must _really_ be in trouble! Are you going to spank me? Are we at spanking yet? I’ve got this list of kinky things I want to do with you and we can totally scratch spanking off.”

I stare at her in bafflement. There’s a huge grin on her face and I spend several moments sputtering. “No I didn’t mean...well…” The mental images I conjure up are vivid and detailed and I’m sure I’ve turned bright red. “I meant … Dishes. You get the dishes tonight.”

Sam’s face falls. “That’s not very fun.”

“Do the dishes right and pick up the flat,” I tell her, picking the sheets up to take them to the closet. “And _maybe_ you’ll get to scratch something off of that list.”

I have the satisfaction of watching Sam’s jaw drop before I walk out of the tiny laundry room. I think I’ve won that one, but when I hear her murmur “I’m gonna clean the _shit_ out of this place” I suddenly wonder just who the winner actually is.


	19. A Night In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara and Sam spend a night in on the couch, watching the telly. Contains some spoilers for the Scars chapter "A Simple Question"

Sam must still be apologizing for attempting to cook dinner the other night. I find a new book waiting on recent meso-american discoveries. It’s one I haven’t read before, which is probably a feat since I’m one of those kicks. There’s a little note where Sam doodled a heart and then left an imprint of her lips. I sniff it and it smells like her favorite lipgloss. Coincidentally it’s my favorite of hers, too.

Plopping onto the couch before my thoughts could get distracted I crack open the book. The first time you open a book - really open it - feels like you’re setting off on a journey to another world. There’s a feel to it, and even the smell of the paper can take me away.

I’m so engrossed that I don’t realize Sam is home until I feel her leaning over the couch. Her hands rest on my shoulders and I tilt my head back long enough to smile at her. “Thank you.” Then it’s back to my book and steadfastly ignoring my fiance while she rubs at my shoulders. I’m successful until I feel her breath on my ear. She nips lightly and I lose my place. “S..Sam..”

“Mmm?” The sound is more like a purr as her tongue traces the outline of my ear. If she starts to go further in I’m done for and we both know it. When she sucks on my earlobe the book slides out of my lap. Somehow, she crawls over the back of the couch and barely breaks contact with my ear in the process. Winston might catch us but I’ve started to suspect he’s developed a preternatural sense for knowing what rooms to avoid.

I let Sam have her way with my ear, her fingers caressing my collar bone and my cheek. It’s as relaxing as it is arousing but when I move to touch her back she gently moves my hand away. Apparently done, she kisses my cheek and snuggles in against me. “I love you. Did you enjoy your book?”

Groaning, I lightly smack her arm with two fingers. “You tease.”

“You loved every second of it,” she counters. “You’ll just have to get me back sometime.” Sam moves out of my reach and grabs the remote. “Can we stay in and do movie night?”

I sit up straight. “You don’t want to go out? Are you sick?”

“I’m not allowed to want to stay in sometimes?” She turns the tv on and raises her eyebrows at me. I shrug my shoulder and lean over to pick the book up. She has a point, but usually she takes any excuse to go out.

“I had a weird day. My mom was kind of a bitch on the phone, and then I had to like...veto a bunch of things she wanted to do and you just don’t want to know the horror she almost tried to pull on our wedding...” She sits down with me again and we rearrange ourselves until we’re curled up together. She’s still adjusting to the idea that her mother wants anything at all to do with her life. 

Kissing the back of her neck, I say, “Okay. Lets watch something kind of silly and dumb. I’m in the mood to hear you critique the camera work and not talk about weddings.”

Sam laughs. “Cold feet?”

“No.” I kiss her shoulder. “Not the marrying you part. All the people and the fuss part. That’s why you’re in charge.”

“I guess I know what I’m good for. Planning big parties and fantastic sex.”

It reminds me of a lot of times we’d had back in the flat, curled in front of the TV. First as friends and later as lovers. Not much has changed if I stop and think about it, except we hold each other a little closer and our hands wander a little farther.

Sam’s complaints during the second movie are non-stop, so I kiss her to calm her down. We miss the rest of the movie, distracted by snogging each other until I’m dizzy. I try to maneuver us around and we roll right off the couch. Sam starts laughing so hard that I’m afraid she’s going to make herself sick, but it’s infectious. 

My sides hurt, I can’t breathe and my throat is hoarse but I can’t stop laughing. And the harder _I_ laugh, the harder Sam laughs as we feed on each other. We’re left gasping on the floor, interrupted by the occasional giggle in my ear.

“Lara?” Sam sounds a little guilty again and I turn my head to look at her.

“Mmm?”

“My mom is okay with us holding the wedding in London but she kind of reserved the Royal Courts of Justice.” She looks at me sheepishly.

I stare at her. The Royal Courts are not unlike a cathedral, beautiful but extravagantly expensive to hold events in. It’s perfect for large events, with a great number of people. I feel light headed. “If that’s the _good_ thing, what horror did you manage to avert?”

“Lara, it’s a beautiful venue and she kept saying no to the museum. Getting married under the T-Rex would have been amazing!”

“Sam, you’re hedging.” But she’s right. That would have been amazing.

She gets to her feet. “I’m going to go shower!” I grab for her legs and she drags me along the floor for a few feet. “Laaaara, let go!”

“What new hell did my future mother-in-law try to foist on us this time?”

My fiance darts her eyes to the left, and then to the right. “She wanted the pope.”

That makes me let go of her, and I shake my head. “She’s not Catholic. Sam, neither of us are Catholic either. The _Pope_?!”

“Oh god, fine. I didn’t want to show you it because it’s _so horrible_!” She sits on the floor next to me and pulls out her phone. She shows me the most hideous wedding dress that I’ve ever seen. I don’t know where the lace ends or the sequins begin. “She wanted us to wear this. Matching dresses.”

I can’t comprehend why anyone would wear that. “...I’m beginning to have doubts about marrying into this family.”

“It’s too late.” She wraps her arms around me and kisses me so wetly that it echoes in the hallway. “You’re stuck with me.”


	20. The Blanket Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set at Uni, their flat's heat is out.

The heater is out. It’s one of the coldest winters in recent memory and we have no heat. Of course it’s Lara’s fault for being a cheapskate. Or maybe it’s my fault for forgetting to pay the bill but either way we’re stuck for a night without heat and the apartment is like a walk-in freezer. There’s no need to assign blame! I think I last about ten minutes before I’m wrapping my blanket around myself and running into Lara’s room. I don’t give her much warning as I launch into bed with her and burrow under her covers. She smacks me as I try to arrange both her blankets and mine to surround us in warmth. I smack her back and we have a little fight with slappy hands at each other. “It’s cold!”

“Sam your feet are ice-cubes!”

“I’m sorry. You’re my bestie but cold feet comes with the territory.” Her skin is so warm. I snuggle in against her and slide my hands under her tank top. She yelps but I’ve got my leg thrown around her and after a few moments of token struggling she accepts her fate as my human heater. She smells like the library. Is library a smell? Old books. She was gone all day so that’s probably where she was.

Ice creeps up my stomachs and I squirm, “Lara!”

“Now you know how it feels!” She laughs, the sound warm, but not warm enough to do anything about the cold. “ _Jesus_ it’s frigid!” She tries to crawl into my clothing or something, and I’m doing the same to her. It’s probably a good thing we’re so close or this would be awkward.

Cocooned in two blankets with our bodies flushed together, I finally start to feel _warm_ again. She starts to trace patterns in my back with her fingers and my hand rests on her hip, stroking her lightly there. Her breath is hot on my face but I’m not going to turn it away. “Mm. This is better.”

“I’d rather not boost your ego,” she whispers. She’s so close her lips feather against my cheeks. “But this was a good idea.”

It would be the simplest thing in the world to kiss her. Lara’s hands are burning a trail in my back, while my own hand rubs dangerously towards her thigh. I’m just seconds from giving into the temptation of her lips when my foot becomes exposed. It feels like razor needles are cutting into it. I shriek, kicking my feet to try to get the blanket back over my foot. It only exposes more of us. Lara gasps, half-laughing as she tries to roll herself deeper into the blankets. She ends up taking mine, too, and I sit on her bed, shivering while she stares at me from within the depths of the comforters, like some sort of blanket monster.

I whine at her, “Laaaara… It’s freezing!”

“You should have thought about that before you started thrashing about,” she replies, the blanket monster shuffling a little closer. I can see light reflecting in her eyes, but can’t tell what she’s thinking. I don’t know what would have happened if my foot hadn’t turned into ice just then.

“My foot got exposed! Come on! At least let me have mine.” I stare at her, imploringly and with my teeth chattering. The blanket monster suddenly opens up and engulfs me.

“That’s better.” I try to sound miffed, but I’m really happy. It’s warm in these blankets and it smells like Lara. Snuggling my face into her chest, I close my eyes and inhale deeply. Winter can bite my ass, but I _guess_ it has it’s plus sides.


	21. You Can Be Both

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Sam talk about boys and girls.

"Okay so you know how when you hit puberty you were suddenly all 'holy crap girls!'"

Alex nods his head. I’m sunning on deck while the Endurance chugs along towards the Dragon’s Triangle. Alex and me have something in common. We both have the hots for Lara but he can't quite understand how that works for me. The guy's a genius but girls and computers operate completely different from each other. Throw in girl on girl and his brain kind of shuts down a little.

"So coming out to yourself is kinda like that. You're just doing your thing, maybe sailing down the river of denial on a little boat, and then one day you're like 'holy crap girls/boys' and then there's no real looking back. It's kind of like gay puberty."

He furrows his brow. "But aren't you... Didn't you have boyfriends?"

"Yep."

"So you can like both."

"Yep. That's totally an option and it’s totally okay. You can like neither too but that's not something I'd ever be qualified to talk about in a hundred years. I like sex _way_ too much." I squint at him. Then a grin bursts across my face and Alex ducks his head. I scoot closer and poke him in the side. So except for the Lara thing that was something else we had in common.

“So what kind of guys do you like, maybe I could hook you up.” 

He shrugs his shoulders and grins at me. “Trying to take out the competition?”

“Who? Me? _Never_.” Okay, maybe a little. “Besides, I’m pretty sure she’s never noticed me that way before.” At least not while sober.

Alex laughs and I can feel his pain. “I know those feels.”

I sigh, thinking of how smart she is. I’m picky with the girls I like, but Lara just _did_ things to me. “She’s amazing, isn’t she.”

“Yeah.” Alex gets up and stuffs his hands into his pocket. Lara’s come up on deck, her nose buried in a map.

I grin, shading my eyes and resisting an urge to run to her. She pauses at the railing and looks out towards the sunset. I scramble for my camera so I can film her. “You know. I keep having this bad feeling. But when I see her like that I just know everything is going to be okay.”

Alex bumps his fist against mine, but neither of us can look away from Lara.


	22. A Sudden Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam is acting guilty, and Lara tries to get her to talk. They're interrupted unexpectedly.
> 
> Set between Chapter 24 and the Epilogue of Scars, so there are some spoilers.

The first thing I notice when I get home is the guilty look on Sam’s face. She only gets that look when she’s been Up To Something, and from how quickly she greets me with a kiss, I know that it’s a very serious _something_ that she’s been up to. “Sam, what did you do?”

“Does it always have to be something I did? Can’t I be happy to see you?” She takes a step back and smiles at me. It’s a smile full of guilt, and she has a nervous habit of fidgeting her foot or playing with her jewellry when she’s hiding something. Right now she’s spinning the ring on her finger around with her thumb.

“Usually,” I retort. It’s probably useless to look around - the manor is so large she could have hidden something just about anywhere and I’d never find it. I walk up to her and gently push her against the wall. “What do I have to do to get it out of you?”

Sam always melts when I get like this. I just love the expressions that criss cross her face as she tries to pretend she’s not enjoying it. “That’s..that’s just silly, sweetie. I love you. I’m always happy to see you.”

Leaning in, I nibble on her shoulder and neck while I slide my hand between her legs. “That much is obvious.”

She makes a sound, like a giggle caught in a groan. I pull my hand away and am rewarded with a frustrated sigh. “You’ll never get me to talk, Lara.”

For the time being I forget any shenanigans she might have gotten up to. I kiss my way to her ear and I’m about to tell her exactly how I’m going to make her talk when I hear it.

A soft, distant _mew_.

“...what was that?”

“That was me because I want you to put your hand back?”

I shoot Sam an amused look and follow the sound. I hear it again and turn into the library. Surrounded by a baby-fence are several moving balls of fur. Kittens. Twelve kittens if my count is right. There are twelve kittens in my library. Most of them are little grey tabbies, though there’s an orange fluffball and a black one and a calico. None of them looked older than eight weeks. “Why are there kittens in our library?”

Sam edges past me and sits down next to the enclosure. “Please don’t be mad! This lady had them in front of the grocery store and I couldn’t just leave them. I mean who knows what kind of home they’d end up in, or if she wouldn’t just...throw them in a dumpster somewhere. She was kind of a bitch.”

“I’m not...I’m not _mad_.” Stunned, a little. Surprised. A bit overwhelmed with the thought of what we’re going to do with a dozen cats. We can’t keep all of them. There’s just _no_ way. I stand there, watching Sam play with the orange one and my resistance to the idea of any cats starts to melt. Okay, Lara, stand firm and be the voice of reason. “We can’t keep pets. We have expeditions. We’re gone _months_ at a time. People keep trying to kill us. You’ve got a _weather goddess_ inside you.”

Sam just holds up the kitten and makes it waggle it’s paws at me. “That’s why cats are perfect! They’re independent. They just need food, water and a place to keep warm or cool. Soup Jesus can keep their dishes filled. We can totally bribe people to check in on them when we’re gone for a long time, too.” She waggles the kitten in the air. “Look at how soft and fuzzy they are!”

It mewls at me, and a second later the others join in, padding to the side of the enclosure and sticking their tiny noses over the edge. I bite my lip. They _are_ cute. “... I suppose we can talk Soraya into one. And Alisha. Reyes might kill us though so we’ll have to give her two.”

Sam giggles. “What else is new with Reyes? Oh hey I’ll bet Jonah would LOVE a bundle of fur!”

“That still leaves eight.”

“We have to find homes for five,” Sam corrects. “We’re keeping three.”

“Sam, I didn’t say we-”

“We’re. Keeping. Three.” She looks at me, not pleading anymore so much as stating a fact. She pats the floor next to her and I sit down obediently. She places the orange one in my lap, then pulls out the calico. This kitten ends up napping on my chest. Sam cuddles a grey one with light stripes and a permanently grouchy expression. I stop fighting the smile on my face. I guess we’re keeping three.

“They’ll need names.”

Sam strokes the grey kitten’s fur. “Grim.” She reached over to rub the orange kitten’s belly. “Alex.”

I lift up the calico to look him in the eyes. I’m unable to see for how watery my vision is getting. “I guess that makes you Roth.” 

He mewls an affirmative.


	23. Lips on my Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during Uni-days. Lara feels conflicted about the dress Sam chooses to wear when they go out clubbing.

I don’t know what’s taking Sam so long. It took me hardly any time at all to get ready, but that’s normal. I’m wearing this silver dress with thin straps on my shoulders and a v-neck. It’s a little too short for my tastes but it’s Sam’s birthday and I can put up with a short skirt for her birthday. 

She comes out of the bathroom. She’s wearing this dark navy dress that’s shorter than mine and I don’t know what magic she’s using to keep her breasts contained in it but she had to have made a pact with the devil. 

It’s shimmery, which is the next thing I notice once I get past the vast expanses of flesh. When she moves it flows like water. It even looks like she’s wearing water, in a way.

I realize I’m staring and find something interesting on the wall to look at. “You can’t possibly be planning on going out in that.”

“Of course I am! Look at how sparkly it is!” She spins around and I look at her again. It’s really not fair when she does this to me, but it’s not like she really knows how I feel. I hate it. But I don’t. Not really. This is probably revenge for kicking her out of the blanket cocoon the other night. 

Thinking about that, I tell her, “Maybe you should wear a jacket. It’s cold out.”

“And hide the hotness? Oh Lara, don’t be silly.” She moves over to me, close enough for her body heat to be noticeable. My mouth dries out.

“Maybe you _should_ hide the hotness,” I say, then bite my tongue before I can say anything else. I must sound so jealous and I pray she doesn’t hone in on the truth.

“Lara, you’re hot too. So smoking hot that I know you’re going to have an awesome night too.” Sam hugs me and I quell the urge to laugh hysterically.

“When you put it like that, how can I possibly deny it?”

“That’s more like it!” She takes my hand and pulls me out of our flat. The only thing I know for sure about our plans tonight is that she really just wants to get hammered. It’s kind of like a pub crawl, but with clubs.

By the third club I’m pleasantly buzzed and so is Sam. I’m pretty sure she’s gotten at least two numbers but I don’t care right now. I push her against the wall, leaning our bodies together and feign being off balance. I just need to feel her against me.

I jump about three feet when I feel her hands on my arse. She giggles in my ear. “That’s funny. You’re funny Lara.”

Someone catcalls and Sam flips him off, “Fuck off!” 

“It’s like they think we’re going to kiss,” I joke, staring at a crack in the brick next to Sam’s ear. That’s a mistake. I forget that Sam likes to live in the moment right up until her lips press beneath my ear and a lightning bolt shoots straight through me. Her mouth moves to my jaw, her lips trailing across my skin there and dangerously close to a big mistake. I start to panic. “Sam, I don’t want to give anyone a _show_...”

She threads her arms around my neck and we make eye contact. She looks away. “Sorry, Lara.”

I breath again, and gently pull away. “It’s all right. Lets find ourselves some nice blokes to dance with at the next one, okay?” I watch her brighten up, but she seems disappointed. By the time we get to the next club I assume it was just wishful thinking on my part. 

Neither of us returns home, but I’m sure I’m the only one with regrets in the morning. I check his wallet just so I at least know his name, then quietly sneak out of his flat. Random hook-ups aren’t really my thing and it’s not particularly memorable besides. I’ve never put much thought or time into sex or relationships. I have Sam if I need emotional commitment and I can handle myself when I need physical release so I’m never looking for a boyfriend. It’s just that, sometimes, I need someone else with me. A body in my bed, hands tangled in my hair.

I’m lonely and the person that makes me feel the least lonely is also the woman who makes me feel the most lonely. My only excuse for last night is I didn’t want to be alone.

I pop some aspirin and dig out my books. Finals are coming out and Sam probably won’t be back for a few hours. Maybe I can do something productive and study. After all it’s one of the things I’m best at. But a hundred pages later I still can’t shake the memory of Sam’s lips on my skin, and I’ve already forgotten that bloke’s name.


	24. The Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during Boarding School, Sam and Lara are on the way to a party when their car spins out of control.

For once I’m looking forward to whatever plans Sam has in store for us. I know she wants to get hammered so I’ll need to keep her from blitzing herself, which means I won’t get to drink much if at all, but I don’t really mind it. We’re not exactly legal just yet but somehow Sam’s found us both fake IDs. I don’t know how she does it, or how she expects me to move in this dress. Everytime I shift it feels like I’m exposing my knickers for the world to see.

“I should’ve worn trousers. It’s chilly and it looks like it’s going to rain.”

“Trousers won’t get you _laid_. Besides.” She grins at me from the driver’s seat. “You look better than I do.”

“Eyes on the road, Sam.” Grabbing the top of her head with my hand I force her to look forward. 

She rolls her eyes. “Oh come on, I’ll probably never get you to wear that again so let me enjoy it while it’s on you.”

That probably doesn’t mean what it sounds like. I need to change the subject before either of us dwells on it. “How much did this set your father back, Sam?” I gesture around the posh interior of her brand new Aston Martin. Everything is this gorgeous white leather, the dash is all digital and the ride is so smooth it barely feels like we’re moving. I grip the arm rest as she swerves down the road. Droplets appear on the windshield.

Sam smiles sheepishly. “A lot.”

“How much is a lot? And can you slow down?”

“Does it really matter? He owed me a birthday present.” 

Sam’s birthday was two months ago, but she hadn’t gotten anything in the mail. I can’t blame her for acting out, so I drop the subject. “Maybe I should drive. It’s raining.” Pouring now, actually.

“This car needs to be _driven_ , Lara. It’s so awesome that letting you drive it would be a total disservice!”

“In other words, I drive like your grandmother.”

She laughs, the sound ringing through the car. “Yep..Shit!”

Something’s in the middle of the road and Sam twists the wheel. The car spins and my head smashes into the passenger window. Metal groans around us, glass shatters and the car tumbles violently. 

Everything is ringing and rain is pounding on my face as I come to. The side of my head is warm and damp, but I can’t feel anything. The only thing in the world I can see right now is Sam’s car smashed into a pole. It’s crumbled like an accordian, the passenger side collapsed. I can’t see the driver’s side from where I’m laying and trying to move just makes me dizzy. All this rain is getting into my eyes and between the grey haze and my dizziness I can’t really see straight.

“Sam? _Sam!?_ ” She doesn’t answer and the sound of my own voice makes my head hurt more. I probably shouldn’t be moving. I can hear Roth telling me to stay still and wait for help, but I can’t see Sam. I have to see her, I have to make sure she’s okay.

My world turns into a long tunnel as I drag myself around the car. Everything becomes about seeing Sam, making sure she’s alive, even just touching her. Sam’s side has held up better, but her door was ripped off. She’s still strapped in,slumped against the wheel. A big jagged chunk of metal’s impaled through her seat. It missed her by only a few centimeters and I feel an overwhelming urge to panic. Her breath is misting in quick, rapid breaths. It’s too dark to see if she’s injured, and as much as I want to get her out of the car, I don’t. Instead, I rest my face against her leg and fish around in her purse for her phone.

It feels like an eternity before the ambulance arrives. I’m whisked away from Sam and only after pleading and thrashing about like a loon am I allowed to take the same bus. I hold her hand the whole way while a medic deals with my head. I don’t feel anything but some pinching - I just need Sam to be okay.

I think I love her. It’s not the first time I’ve had that thought. It probably won’t be the last. But it’s the first time I’ve realized just what she means to me. What losing her would mean to me. I don’t want her taken from me, not by a freak accident, not ever. The nurses have to pry her hand out of mine. I refuse pain medications, but let them properly stitch up a cut on my back. No one’ll tell me what’s going on with Sam. The only reason I’m even able to get to her room when she’s out of surgery is because I let myself get checked in and convince the nurse to put us in the same room.

Sam looks pale, but she’s clean. The chart is meaningless to me so I pull a chair over and grip her hand tightly. The pain’s catching up to me, the shock from the accident, this cold fear in my stomach that she might not wake up. I just want to close my eyes and sleep and I think the nurse snuck something in with my antibiotics. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if you’re not okay. So please be okay. You’re my…Just be okay.”

Something possesses me. I lean over the bed and kiss her lightly. Her lips feel so soft that it’s hard not to linger. “I love you.”

She doesn’t stir, and after I sit back down I can feel sleep wrapping warm arms around me.


	25. Valentine's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow-up to the Victoria’s Secret chapter! Sam has a very special birthday present planned for Lara, but Lara has a present for Sam, as well.

Valentine’s Day is weird, okay? I’ve never actually _gone_ on a date that day. It’s Lara’s birthday and bestie always comes first. And she hates it. Hates her birthday, hates Valentine’s Day. She was always telling me to find a date and go out and have fun, so I always tried to do something special. Secretly I think she appreciated it, she just hates raining on my parade with her moping. 

This year is different. Another first for us and I want it to be special. I want to blow Lara’s _mind_. It’s our first valentine’s and her first birthday as my girlfriend. So the cake is huge. Like four feet long and covered in buttercream frosting. It’s marble, because we both like it but I got her a little jaffa cupcake because she loves that stuff for some reason. So the cake is for happy birthday and the cupcake is for being my valentine. I never cared about it before. It was just a day to hang with Lara. Let other people be schmoopy and sappy, or grumpy if they’re alone. So this is kind of nice, planning something.

We’ll be the same age for a couple of months, which is always funny. I can’t believe we’re only twenty-four. So much has happened in just the past few years that it feels like we should be older. I know _I_ feel older, and Lara’s feet are getting itchy again. I have plans to buy us that flight to Peru, but I think Lara’ll forgive me if I procrastinate a little.

So back to present wrapping. I got her a couple things. The usual journals and books and research related things, but I wanted to go big. Go big or go home. It’s taken me months but I’ve tracked down the perfect present. Something that’s going to make her bow down and worship me.

Gleefully, I run into the kitchen to pull dinner out of the oven. I wish I could say I cooked it myself but I ordered it and had it delivered. It just needs to be heated. Even I can do that. The noodle incident not-with-standing.

It smells so good. Where the hell is Lara? She should be home any time now. I have presents to give her! And then she can unwrap me. But I’m not going to wrap myself on the bed. Oh man. I did that once with this guy and it ended in the ER. I rush into the bedroom and change into a shimmery silver minidress. It’s quick and easy and I don’t have enough time to go really crazy.

There’s some noises at the door and then Lara lets herself in. “Did you kidnap a chef?” She sniffs as she closes the door and hangs up her coat. “Because it smells really good in here.”

“Cooked it myself,” I tell her, gesturing at the roast resting on top of the stove. She gives me a knowing look as I crook my finger at her. I latch on once close enough and kiss her nose. “Boop. Happy Birthday, Lara.”

“You really didn’t have to do anything like this…” She’s noticed the food, and the cake, and the presents and puts a hand in her hair as she tries to process it all. 

“I know. I wanted to.” I think between what I’m doing and what I’m wearing Lara’s thought processes aren’t functioning very well.

Lara opens her mouth, probably to spew something about how I don’t have to buy her love or impress her or spend vast quantities of money to make her happy, but I put my hand over her mouth. “Don’t start. It’s Valentine’s Day too and we’re going to be all romantic and shit.”

I hold my hand there until she raises her eyebrows at me in defeat. Then she licks my hand and I yank it back. “Gross! Go!” Wiping my hand on her shirt I push her towards the bedroom. “Clean up and get into something romantic!”

She glances back at me with an eyeroll, before closing the door. Satisfied, I run back into the kitchen to set the table. There are butterflies in my stomach. Maybe she really is upset? I mean, she likes things quiet and without fanfare and I’m making a huge deal out of a romantic dinner and birthday cake.

I stare down at the roast in accusatory dismay, and don’t hear Lara come out until she clears her throat. Lara looks _so_ good. Her hair is down and I think she probably just ran her fingers through it but my body suddenly wants to skip dinner. She has on this new, dark purple dress I’ve never seen before. It’s like of clingy and even a little shimmery. She even put on a shawl to cover her shoulders, which for once I don’t mind. “Wow.”

“Now we’re both dressed up,” She says. Her hand lips my chin up and she kisses me. This is the best thing _ever_. I thread my arms around her neck and forget about dinner for a long time. It just feels so amazing to have this woman in my life.

Finally, I pull myself out of her grip and lead her to the table. “I know it’s not a feast but I did the best I could.” 

“It looks delicious.” She has to know I just reheated what was delivered, right? But Lara isn’t saying anything about it, and I’m really glad. Instead, she expresses her pleasure by making really hot sounds while eating. I can’t even concentrate on my food. It’s _Lara_ , it’s not like she’s doing this in purpose but by the time we’re done eating I want to rip her dress off with my teeth.

She smiles and blushes at me when she notices I’m staring. I swallow and then get up. “Okay. Cake and presents time!” First are the journals and a couple of books I thought looked sciencey and archaeologisty. I also found a t-shirt with a stylized trowel on it and the words ‘I really dig my job’. I record it _all_ for posterity.

Lara holds it up, looking at it for a long moment before she sets it down. She looks amused. “I think that’s my new favorite shirt.”

“Even better than your ‘Take me Bach to the music’ shirt?” I ask her, referring to the shirt she often wore to bed. A little known fact: Lara has a weird sense of humor when it comes to puns.

“Even better, Sam. Thank you.” 

I bounce in place and clap giddily, then run past her to get her final present. It’s the Best Present Ever, as far as I’m aware. I come back in and place it in her hands, before lifting my camera again. “I know the shirt is awesome but I wanted to get something that’s...really you. So you know that I listen and that I’m paying attention when you talk and stuff.”

She looks at me fondly, reaching up to take my hand before she looks at the package. She carefully unwraps it, and then looks at the box. “You bought me an eggbeater?”

“Open the box, sweetie!” 

Laughing, Lara opens it and reaches in. I can’t take it and start to shake a little as she pulls her present out. She inhales, before a shocked sound catches in her throat. “Oh my god…”

Oh god please tell me I did good. “What...what do you think? I had it checked out, it’s definitely real.” It better be considering the price tag.

The book Lara holds is old, leather bound and a little water worn around the edges. She strokes the cover reverently, before opening it. “Oh my god…Sam, how did you even find this?”

“Luck and persistence and because I’m just that good.” I zoom in on her face. She hasn’t taken her eyes off of it as she carefully flips through the pages.

“Ferdinand Magellan’s journal.” she whispers.

“I tried to find Sir Francis Drake’s but no dice. So I thought, hey this guy is from my mom’s homeland and he went around the world and I know that Lara would appreciate it and…”

“I love it, Sam. This is… _extraordinary._.” My face starts to hurt from grinning so much, and I listen patiently as she explains how significant she finds this. I’m glad I’m recording it because if she quizzes me later I’m going to need to study. This is Lara in her element, one of the reasons I fell in love with her. She’s lit up, and so beautiful. 

She trails off and looks at me again. She looks suddenly guilty. “All I got you were some chocolates, and a rose. They’re in the car. Oh, and one of those little stuffed bears holding a heart…”

“I love them already!” I’m hasty in assuring her as she gets up. I watch as she finds a place to safely store the book. “...I thought you were going to just get lost in that for hours? Are you sick?”

“Later,” she says, taking my hand and starting to lead me towards our bedroom. 

“Oh…I like where this is going.” 

“I do have something besides the bear,” Lara admits. She closes the bedroom door behind us. It has to be something good, right? To distract her from that journal. Lara probably won’t surface for days once she really digs in. And I just know that she’s going to love me even more when I buy her those tickets to Peru, but the way she looked at that book made me all warm inside.

I watch her move around in that dress. It’s really the _hottest_ thing. No, wait. The hottest thing is how she unzips that dress and lets it fall to the floor. It even has this...incredibly sexy ‘foomph’ sound when it hits the ground.

My jaw joins her dress on the floor the moment I realize what she’s wearing _underneath_ it. It’s this purple babydoll, a little lacy and with a halter style top that just…I can’t even. She even has thigh high stockings and it’s like she read my secret fantasy journal or something.

Her face is flushed. “I take it you like it?”

“Hrnn…” Brakes squealing, gears grinding as my brain ceases to function. She’s so fucking beautiful. “Nnn.” I’m like a zombie. For boobs.

“I was hoping you’d get this off me,” She says, sitting on the bed and looking up at me. “If you can even function right now. But I can’t very well read through a five hundred year old book in Portuguese wearing knickers like this, can I?”

I need a moment for my brain to reboot, then I’m unzipping my own dress and stalking towards her. “Oh if that’s the case then let me get that off of you.”

She laughs, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Sam…”

“I love you.” I breathe the words against her skin as I push her onto her back. I don’t want to rip the lingerie, but I’m so in need of touching her that I try to get my hands everywhere, and carefully unwrap _my_ present. Except the stockings. The stockings totally stay on.


	26. Tinkering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place about a year after Yamatai, and a year before In This Together. One of Lara's coping mechanisms is tinkering with the household appliances, and Sam has had quite enough of that...

Something’s burning. I bolt out of bed and rush into the living room, still trying to pull my pants on. I stop when I see Lara has a sheet on the floor and assorted spare parts spread out on it. The burning smell comes from her attempt at soldering.

“Lara, what the hell are you doing?” Why am I asking? I already know what she’s doing, she’s been doing this a couple times a month for eight months now. And god help us if something broke. Like the garbage disposal incident.

“ Fixing the toaster,” she replies, as she carefully starts to put it back together.

Oh my god, I’m going to kill her. “It wasn’t _broken_!”

She looked up at me, pushing polarized goggles up onto her forehead. “I’m making it more efficient.”

Oh my god, I’m going to kill her _slowly_. “That’s what you said about the car! Which is in the shop now, thanks to you!”

I look forlornly at the toaster, and think about all that toast I’m not going to get to have. I think I’m gonna cry. I really want toast all of a sudden and now I can’t have it.

“It’ll be fine!” I watch her get up and wipe her hands on her jeans, before bringing the toaster into the kitchen. I follow her. “Lara, where’s the coffee maker?”

“I had to scrounge it for parts.”

Something inside me dies. “You..you...salvaged the Keurig?” She’s committed the ultimate sin. We can no longer be friends anymore. It’s just so so wrong. I lean on the counter in shock, and stare at the empty spot where my precious baby used to be, then glance at Lara as she puts the toaster down and plugs it in.

“Okay...sweetie…” I try to speak evenly, because I can just get starbucks and then buy a new Keurig and really this is kind of her way of coping. And it’s better than my way of coping was and she yelled at me for that, but I’m going to be nice and try to not yell at her. “I think it’s time we had a little talk about your addiction.”

“Addiction?” She glances at me and laughs. “Sam, you’re talking out your arse.” Carefully, she puts in some bread, and then presses down the lever. “Now, it should stop burning one side.”

“And burn the apartment down.” Even if perfectly even toast might be nice, I’m not sure it’s worth risking it. But it doesn’t smell bad. It smells pretty good actually and now I’m looking forward to toast. “Huh. Maybe you did it!”

“Of course I did,” she says, planting her hands on her hips. She’s been so weirdly focused since the island. Even a year later. She doesn’t jump as much (and neither do I), but she tends to attach herself to projects like this. I guess all that time keeping her weapons working put a nut up her butt about tinkering. It’s cute. Except when it _ruins the coffee maker_. I’m going to have to hold a funeral. 

There’s a sudden high pitched wine, and Lara grabs me as the toaster explodes. I look up at her. “Sweetie, we’re going to get coffee, and then we’re going to go buy a new toaster and Keurig. And then I’m buying you a fucking erector set.”

Lara gets up and holds out her hand, so I take it and let her pull me up. The toaster is toast, but in the wreckage lays a pair of perfectly toasted bread. Lara puffs her chest out. “All isn’t lost, Sam.” She retrieves the toast, and I watch her butter them up. 

“For you.” She looks so earnest that I take the plate. Plus I really need some fucking toast now.

I glare at her the whole time I eat my toast. God, this woman. She’s going off the deep end! I love her but ( _no I didn’t just think that, bad Sam_ ) she’s a menace to anything mechanical. She’s not even _bad_ at it but most of this stuff was never designed to be messed with the way she’s messing with it. So I chew and swallow and chew and glare and she stands there with a mixture of triumph and sheepishness on her face. I can’t even stay mad at her when she looks like that. It’s not fair.

I finish, then drink my water _because I can’t have coffee yet_ and declare. “The toast isn’t bad.”

“I just need to figure out what I did wrong,” She says, scuffing her bare feet on the linolium. 

“No, you just need to leave the toaster alone.” I’m dead serious about that erector set. She clearly needs something to focus on, and I’m kind of curious as to what she might build.

“But Sam-”

“No buts, Lara! I’m putting my foot down on this one.” I cup her face, smushing her cheeks together and looking deep into her eyes. “You’re a menace to household appliances and you must be stopped.”

She stares at me, then cracks a smile. “When you put it that way…Okay, finish getting dressed, I’ll buy you a cup of java.”

“Extra cream and hazelnut!”

“Of course.” 

“You know, I really need to find a way to keep your hands occupied,” I tell her, as we head for the door. She hesitates with her hand on the door, then shakes her head and opens it. That has to be wishful thinking on my part.


	27. Bath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shortly after Yamatai, Lara needs help cleaning up.

"Sam??"

I'm knee deep in the dead when I hear Lara call for me. I pause my game and get up, following the sound of her voice and standing outside the bathroom door. "Yeah, Sweetie? What's up?"

"Could you come in?" She sounds so embarrased. "I...need your help."

I guess it's my turn to be the superhero, I kick the door down and find Lara sitting naked on the edge of the tub. Completely in the buff. I stare at her. The criss cross of scars on her shoulders and stomach, the toned muscles, those breasts...

I snap out of it. "Are you trying to take a bath? Lara you're not supposed to get your stomach wet."

"I was trying to ... " She waves around a damp cloth. "I can't get my back."

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "Okay, but we're doing this my way." I sit next to her, taking her cloth and looking at her back. She's really muscular. Way more than I remember her being. There are more little nicks and cuts and scars, and I trail my fingers along one.

She shivers, and I feel something inside of me tighten. Oh no. This is hot. But I have to ignore that as I move the cloth over her skin. Gently, I move her hair out of her way to get the back of her neck then bring my hand lower. The bandage down on the lower left side of her back looks pretty angry. 

"It needs to be changed doesn't it," she says, when my hand hesitates.

"Yeah. Let me get the rest of you, then I'll help you with that."

She closes her eyes. I put my arms around her when she leans back against me and press my face against her shoulder. Her skin is cool against my lips, and she rests her hands over mine on her stomach. "Thank you. I'm sorry you have to put up with this."

"Lara, I don't mind. I really don't. After what you did for me, this is nothing." She's there when I have nightmares, she lets me rant and rage and cry on her. She saved my fucking soul. Besides, her scars are so freaking sexy that I can't stand it. I want to kiss them. 

Fuck it. I kiss one on her shoulder, and when she doesn't stop me I kiss another. She shivers again. "Need me to stop?"

"No...no. I'll never get over this if you stop."

"Okay." I grin against her skin. "I won't ever stop unless you need me to, okay? Just one condition."

"What's that?"

"You have to give me a bubble bath sometime."


	28. The Things You Do For Your Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> University - Lara once again comes to Sam's rescue when she needs something important.

“ _Laaaaarraaaaaa_!?” 

“Sam?” I grimace, lifting my book from my face where I’d placed it to rest my eyes and try to ignore the sounds coming from Sam’s room. When I turn my head, Sam is peeking into my room, naked as the day she was born. The view would be better if I didn’t know she has a man in her room. “What is it?”

“Uhm. Stupid question. Can I borrow some rubbers?”

“What?” I stare at her in momentary confusion as I try to process her request. What did she need erasers for?

Sam’s laugh turns my face red, and her words don’t really help any. “ _Condoms_ Lara! Prophylactics! I want to have the _sex_ and I need protection, aren’t you proud of me?”

 

“Oh my god. Don’t you have your own?” I sit up, then lean over to root through my end table. “ _Borrow_? Like I’d want them back, some how?” It’s a disgusting thought, but at least she’s asking rather than putting herself at risk. You can say a lot about Sam’s behaviour but she’s pretty smart about this stuff. 

I get out of bed when I don’t find any. “Hold on, I think I have some from that date that went south.”

“I borrowed those last week while you were buried in maps.”

“Of course you did.” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I open the drawer to my dresser. I nearly jump out of my skin when I feel her press against my back. 

“Any in there?”

“No. I’m going ‘round the block.” I slam it shut, then grab my wallet. “Stay here. In my bedroom. Don’t let that man put it _anywhere_ near you until he’s got something covering that thing or I swear to god I’ll hack it off.”

“Yes mom.” Sam flashes me this bright, thankful smile. “Thanks so much, I promise I’ll pay you back!”

I’m out the door as quickly as I can move. The store really is just around the corner and it takes me about two minutes to get there. I smile at the man behind the counter. His name is Aaron and he’s got this cute, boyish grin. He’s the last person I want working tonight, and I’m blushing as I step up the the counter. “I uhm...I need some..”

_For Sam. You can do this, they’re just condoms._

“Some of that box.” I can’t bring myself to say it. But Aaron turns around and grabs the box.

“Her Sensation? Hot date huh? Or is it Sam again?” 

I manage another smile as I fish around for some cash. “She deserves the best. Besides they’ll help make up for any lack on his part.”

Aaron gives me a look, then hands me a second box. “Save you another trip later.”

Chances are, I’ll be making this run again so I’m not going to ignore the idea. I buy more of these things for her than I do for myself! I thank Aaron and rush back to the flat, taking the stairs two at a time. While I _want_ her (and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore), I know that’s something that’ll never happen, so I’ll be the good friend she deserves. And with a horny man in the bedroom I’m sure she can’t stand to wait much longer. I chuck the box at her as she comes out of my room. She catches it with one hand then disappears into her own bedroom as I collapse onto the couch. 

I look at my watch. Six minutes. I think that’s a new record!


	29. So Brave and Quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One year ago today, Tomb Raider Reborn came out! For the anniversary, here is Sam realizing Lara is hurting, as the ship that rescued them pulls into port.

Japan’s finally in sight. After our ordeal it’s the best piece of land I’ve ever seen, but I can’t look at it the way I want to. Everything is different now. I watch Lara watch the land as it gets closer. I see the distance in her eyes, I see how still she stands. I can’t see what she’s looking at, because it’s not the land. Her eyes are looking elsewhere.

I close mine. My wrists are raw from all the rope and we’re pretty sure they’re infected. My body is aching and my ankles hurt. My _soul_ is aching and my eyes snap back open when the memory of Himiko flashes in front of them. Sleep isn’t going to come any time soon. The only thing waiting for me is that feeling of having my soul pushed out. Maybe parts of me aren’t ever going to return. And if that island took that from me, what did it take from her? What has she lost that she’ll never get back?

I don’t know if Lara will ever tell me. I hope she does, because if she can open up to me maybe I can open up to her. She keeps the storms away. I _need_ her to open up because maybe that’ll make it all worth it. That we haven’t lost the bond between us. That it’s stronger. 

Lara doesn’t notice me watching, but now that I think about it I can see the pain in her eyes, the way she guards her left side. Her skin is so pale and glistens from cold sweats. I’ll be relieved when we can see a doctor, but I know that’s not going to be the end to it. There are already nightmares. There’s the hardness and determination in her face, and a tension in her muscles that’s like a crazy kind of paranoia. She doesn’t often let me out of her sight. But mostly she looks sad. Angry. Sometimes both at once. 

I’ve been reading a book. One of the crewmembers had leant to me. Some of the dialogue jumps out at me as I look back down at it and it makes me feel like an ass. On Yamatai and on this ship I’ve done nothing but complain and whine. About how I look, how I feel, how everything hurts, and there’s Lara, holding me through it. There’s Lara freaking out at my wrists when she’s got a cauterized puncture wound in her side. She’s always there, strong and steadfast, and it’s so easy to forget what she’s gone through. I’m such a selfish ass.

I drag myself to my feet, and hobble over to where Lara is standing. I take her hand and she looks at me. “Sam, you should be resting.”

“You are so brave and quiet I forget you are suffering,” I quote her, balancing myself against the railing so I can put my arms around her. “I’m here for you, Lara” 

Tears ring her eyes and she lets me hold her. I have to be her rock, and that’s a lot better than breaking down like I really, _really_ want to. Thanks, Hemingway. I needed the kick in the ass.


	30. Ear Piercing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-Uni. Sam talks Lara into getting her ears pierced.

It all starts innocently enough. Sam wants to get a tattoo, and naturally she drags me along with her. This isn't a bad thing, because I stop her from making two terrible mistakes. The first mistake is the tattoo she wants. It's a terrible two-tone monstrosity that she'll regret in a week.

The second mistake is where she went at first. The sanitary conditions left a lot to be desired and so after some quick research I convince her to look into another place thats nearby. It is cleaner, and the woman is a lot friendlier than the bloke at the first place.

Sam settles into a chair to pore over some designs and I sit next to her, vetoing her first three choices on the grounds that they just don't suit her. There's no way I'm going to be able to convince her not to get one, but at least I can steer her in the right direction.

There's a whole section of Japanese Kanji and we both spend a few minutes giggling over the ridiculousness of some of it. Sam points at one. "Imagine thinking you have 'tranquility' on your butt but you've actually got _cow_."

"This one is worse." I point at one farther down the page and Sam _howls_ with laughter. I can't even say that one out loud, and even Sam's face is red when she tries in her father's tongue. 

"Are you ladies all right?" The woman comes over. She has pink hair and a piercing in her eyebrow. 

I cover my mouth to compose myself while Sam replies, giggling. "I'm just trying to decide on my Tattoo, but my friend is going to get her ears pierced."

"Yes," I start to say. "What?! No! We're just here for you!"

" _Lara_ you're eighteen and you've _never_ had your ears pierced. It's time to _rebel_ a little!"

"I'll leave you two to decide." The woman laughs and returns back behind the counter.

"Rebel against what?" I turn to her, incredulously. "My ears?" I'd almost rather get a tattoo. There was actually one I really kind of liked. A nautical star. I wouldn't mind a compass either. But I'd want to do some serious research before I do anything like that to my body. The nautical star has some significance but I'm not sure I'm ready to do that yet. I don't think Sam would understand it, anyway.

"Oh sweetie. It's just you're so straight laced that I think you could use a little loosening up. And if loosening up means putting three or four holes in your ears, then why not? Besides, then I can share some of my earrings!" That's Sam. Looking on the fashion side of things. She takes my hand and squeezes it, and she's giving me such big puppy eyes that it's hard to ignore.

"Sam, if you promise to do more research on your tattoo, I'll get my ears pierced." It's probably time anyway. I've been thinking that I needed to do...something different to myself. Maybe this is it. I glance at Sam as she bounces in her seat. The things I do for this girl. 

"Great! I don't like any of these designs anyway though I'm tempted by some Kanji for irony's sake." She picked up a book on piercings. "Okay we'll get you-"

I snatch the book out of her hand. "They're my ears Sam! I'll decide what I want." I already know I don't want anything outside of my earlobes. The idea of puncturing myself makes me feel a little sick to my stomach. I'll stick to the fleshy part and not the cartilage thank you.

I flip through the book while Sam leans on my arm. There's pictures of all sorts of piercings, not just ears. I actually kind of like the idea of a belly button piercing but it would be very impractical. Especially once I'm out in the field pursuing my dream.

"This." I point at one. It's different, without being outrageous, and, honestly, a part of me hopes Sam might get the subtle hint.

" _Oooh_ Lara's walking on the wild side!" Sam rests her cheek on my shoulder. " _Two_ in one ear. That's kinda hot."

She didn't, but the woman quirks her eyebrow at me when I walk up with the book to show her. To her credit, she doesn't say anything about it. "If you're ready we'll get started. You might want your friend there, it does hurt. My name is Stacey, by the way."

"Pfft." Sam comes over while I'm shaking Stacey's hand. "Lara Croft's pain tolerance is legendary. Like she dropped a table on her foot once and didn't even scream. I think she liked it."

"Yes," I reply. "I do so love being in pain."

My friend grins and intones, "Ooh baby, ooh baby."

Stacey looks between us and inwardly I cringe. My friendship with Sam is unique and sometimes I forget how people might look at us. But as trying as she can be, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

It really did hurt, but I apparently have a reputation to maintain. So I don't make a sound. Sam does, though, because I must have squeezed her hand too hard. Stacey gives me instructions which I'm careful to listen to. For now I stick with something simple, I'm sure Sam is going to buy me plenty of earrings whether I ask her to or not. I'd rather simple ones, and I hope I can trust her to know my tastes by now. Just in case, I make sure she notices which ones I looked at the most.

"I should get a nipple piercing," Sam says, as we walk towards the door.

"No!" 

"Come on! It'll be hot!" She tugs on my hand, but I keep moving towards the exit, now at a faster pace.

My face burns. "Your nipples are fine the way they are they don't need any enhancement!"

Sam elbows me."I didn't know you paid such close attention, Lara."

Stacey's laughter follows us out the door


	31. Groceries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in University Lara and Sam had a constant struggle as to what went into the shopping cart....This is just one of their battles.

I turn from the cart for two seconds, and when I turn back they're gone. Sam has taken the Jaffa cakes out of the cart. I'm going to kill her, slowly. But first, I put some back in, and then for revenge I take her ho-hos out. I look at the back and my stomach turns. "How can she even eat these things?"

I put them up just in time for Sam to trundle over with her arms full. I make no mention of her crime against Jaffa cakes (and I thought she _liked_ those biscuits) and watch in rapt fascination as my room mate deposits Lucky Charms, whipped cream, and strawberry syrup into the basket.

"Hot date?" I ask her. She sticks her tongue out at me. I swear to god it's like shopping with a twelve year old. At least frozen pizzas are cheap, but I had to talk her out of getting cookie dough. She won't bake with it, she'll just eat it straight out of the packaging. Like an animal.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She takes off and I follow her with my eyes, shaking my head. I almost don't want to know what she's going to get, but we do have a budget to stick to and I can't let her blow through it. I make my way over to the instant meals, tossing in some ramen on the way there. I swap the cereal for something a little healthier, but I let her keep the syrup and whipped cream. Strawberry milk actually sounds pretty good right now.

While I'm distracted with price checking the dinners, Sam returns. The Lucky Charms make an appearance, the Jaffa cakes are gone again, she has a package of pre-made sushi, cheese and bologna. The latter two things I can forgive her for, they're not expensive and will last her a few weeks of sandwiches. But the sushi. 

"No, Sam. Put the Sushi back. Are you _trying_ to get sick?"

"I like tempting fate, Lara." She folds her arms, and I know I've got a battle on my hands.

"You'll get sick, and miss your midterms and have to make them up."

She rolls her eyes at me. " _Live_ a little." Then she holds up the Jaffa cakes. "Let me get my sushi and..." She squints at the basket. "You little...you took my ho-hos! Negotiations are off! This is a hostage situation!"

"Says the woman holding my Jaffa cakes for ransom," I point out, my tone helpful.

"Shit." Sam looks at the cakes, then at the basket. "Jaffa cakes for the ho-hos and I'll put the sushi back."

"Deal." I hold out my hand, to shake on it. "And I'll even let you keep your syrup."

"Your generosity knows no bounds."

We finish our shopping, with only minimal arguing and negotiation. I think maybe she does have a date or something, which is disappointing but I'll make do with my studies.

She doesn't go out though. I watch her make us some strawberry milk when she gets some syrup on her hand. Even though I'm the only one present she licks it off her finger in a way that makes every muscle in my body twitch.

I don't think I'll ever be able to disassociate strawberry syrup from that mental image ever again.


	32. Tamagotchi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I did a little exercise, asking people to give me a location, time of day and a physical object.
> 
> Object: Tamagotchi. Time of Day: Afternoon. Location: Anywhere.
> 
> Note: This is set just after the last chapter of Scars, while they're still in Egypt.)

"Come on you little fucker."

I jerk awake at the sound of Lara's voice. I rub my eyes and lean over. I'm in the back seat and the SUV is jostling around. Soraya is at the driver's seat, and I must have dozed off because it's like...four in the afternoon or something. 

"She's playing this stupid game." The mercenary glances over at her, then directs her eyes back to the road. Civilization still seems so far away. We've traveled for hours and I've been the only oem not allowed to drive. No one ever lets me drive.

I lean over Lara's seat and look down. She has her phone out, and she's... "Oh my god is that Tamagotchi?! When did you get the Tamagotchi app? Wait, this is my fault, I think I totally snuck that onto your phone but I thought you deleted it!"

"This is the fourth time he _died_ " Lara lamented. "How are we ever to care for cats if I keep killing this little shit!"

"Wow, you're in a mood." I thread my arms down her chest and rest them on her stomach, my chin on the car seat. She smells like dirt and sweat and dust. It’s all the good, wonderful things I associate with her. Good, wonderful things that I need to focus on to ignore the lightning inside me.

Gyasi laughs next to me. "She's more frustrated by that thing than I've seen her while we researched." I really like him. The curator of the Cairo Museum is weathered, but sprightly, and he lets me rub the top of his head for luck. I think our trip into the desert has given him more life than he’s had in years. Even with the being shot at thing. And the sudden lightning storm.

"That's because she's a one woman library machine." My one-woman library fiance. Yeah. I'm so still not over that. "Oh Lara, you're doing it wrong. Here, let me-"

Lara smacks my hand. Lara _smacks my hand_. "Tch! Fine, be that way."

I thunk back against my seat, folding my arms and glaring at the back of the seat. Just from the sounds I can tell she's killing the thing again. I totally laugh.

"Shut up, Sam!"

"Come back here and make me."

"I'm going to beat this game if it kills me!"

That draws a barking laugh from Soraya. "Lara, it's not the kind of game that you beat."

My fiance leans her head against the head rest, as though she's finally going to accept that. But no, it's not to be. I hear her mutter something like 'I don't care there's a way to win' under her breath.

I glance at Gyasi and then Soraya, before the entire rover fills with laughter. After the past few days we need this release. No one is trying to kill us right now. I’ve got a wedding to plan, and we’ve beaten the badguys to a potentially dangerous artifact.

Even Lara joins in. “You know we need a name for ourselves. Like the Scoobies on Buffy. We could be the Tamogotchis!”

“No.”

“Raiders of the Lost-”

“Sam!”

“The Tomb Raiders!”

“You know,” Gyasi says, in his deliberate manner of speech. “I kind of like that one. It has a nice ring to it.”

“No, Sam. Gyasi, please don’t encourage her.” And there’s Lara, raining on our parade.

I squint at the back of her seat, then meet Soraya’s eyes in the rearview mirror. She gives me a wink.

Three to one, Lara. You’re not gonna win this one.


	33. The Charger Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another writing exercise from an Anon!
> 
> Item: Phone charger  
> Time: Evening  
> Location: NYC
> 
> Sam and Lara and in New York for a conference, but they only brought one phone charger.

“Sam, have you seen my charger cable?” I must have checked my bags a half-dozen times but I can only find the one. I’ve got mine plugged into Sam’s, but that’s not a good long term solution, not when we’ve got a week in New York for my conference.

“Sam? Bugger. She must be out shopping.”

I take a shower, and by the time I’m out Sam is back and relaxing on the bed. There are three new bags on the floor and I roll my eyes in her general direction. “Have fun?”

“Hell yes! And this is only the beginning. I have at least another sixteen places to shop at, and that’s not counting little boutiques and places that we find at random. And then the food. The _food_ Lara! I haven’t had a good pizza in years! _Real_ pizza!” She hopped off the bed. “Come on, we’re gonna go get pizza!”

Sam’s expression cancels out any argument I may have come up with, so I grab my phone and follow her out the door. We’re in the cab when I notice how low the battery is. “Damn it, I left this charging.”

“Sorry sweetie, I needed to charge mine up so I took the charger.”

If looks could kill I’m fairly certain I would have turned my girlfriend into some form of ash in that moment. I’m going to need to buy another charger, clearly. I power the phone off to conserve battery and flop against the back of the cab and stare out the window.

Getting food in my belly makes me feel better and it really is good pizza, so I can forgive Sam her trespass. Enough that I suggest we stop on the way back at the store of her choosing. Her face lights up, and I make the conscious choice to not look at the eventual receipt. It’ll give me a heart-attack, I’m sure.

After nearly two hours, I’m laden with nearly a dozen bags as I teeter towards our hotel room. The sun has gone down and an evening drink sounds really good right about now. It’s not until we’re inside and I’m rubbing my sore arms that I realize I forgot to buy a damned charger. “Shit. I forgot a charger!”

“It’s okay, sweetie, you can charge your phone next!”

I plug it in and help Sam redistribute her ‘swag’ into her luggage and we quickly realize she’s going to need another bag for the trip home. Which means another shopping trip, but that’s okay. I still need that charger.

Sam drags me to some swanky nightclub. There’s a crush of bodies and it’s a little overwhelming. I stay close to Sam, half afraid some maniac is going to grab her from me, and needing the closeness to deal with all the people. Even after a few drinks I have to go outside to get some air, before I get triggered into hurting someone. Sam follows me. She looks disquieted. “That used to be more fun before...you know.”

“I know.” I pull my phone out to check my mail. It’s dead. Completely dead. My eyes slide to Sam, who has this incredibly guilty expression on her face. “Sam.”

“Oh god I’m sorry! I just didn’t want you constantly checking your mail and shit while we were out!”

“You _sabotaged_ me?!” I can’t believe she has the gall….actually, I _can_ believe it. I grab her hand, and wobble down the street. “We are buying a charger. Right now.”

I can’t imagine the poor clerk’s thoughts, two tipsy women marching into the store and buying ten phone chargers. Ten. Because I wanted to hide some so Sam couldn’t sabotage me again.

She stands there sheepishly, and then even pays for me. I lead her back out, then take her hand. “You’re a handful sometimes. You know that?”

“But you love me, right?” Sam’s voice wavers, and for a brief moment I can see the insecurity in her eyes. This relationship of ours, this thing we danced around for so long, still worries her. She still thinks she’s somehow not worthy.

“Of course I do!” She folds into my arms, her hair soft against my lips. “You’re a pain in my ass, and I love you, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


	34. Glow Sticks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another exercise! Glow sticks, Pre-dawn, car on the way home
> 
> Sam picks up a woman at a rave.

There’s an ice-pick hammering into my skull to the beat of dubstep. I mean, we’ve left the club but it’s still hammering there. I don’t really care. I’m still really buzzed, and I have this gorgeous woman on my arm. The sky is that hazy shade of purple it gets before the sun comes over the horizon, but that’s not what I’m staring at. 

No, I’m totally staring at the blue glow of the stick around this woman’s neck and how its shading her breasts. She’s wearing a tight tank top, and from the angle I have leaning against her I have the most fantastic view.

And her lips. I look at them, then into green eyes as hazy as mine must be. Her hand tangles in my hair as she pulls me against her and she tastes as good as she looks. She yields to my touch and I’d have that top off of her if the cab didn’t stop. We stumble out, I pay the cabbie, then resume pawing at her. She’s built and lean, but still soft in some places. An athlete and a woman and right now she’s making a mewling sound into my throat and I could die happy right now. 

She picks me up, suddenly, throwing me over her shoulder. Her hand patpats at my ass and it feels so good that I squirm. My energy starts to return and by the time she gets us inside I could run a marathon. Horizontally. I spank her until she puts me down. Then we’re tearing at each other’s clothing, leaving a trail to the bedroom.

“Leave the glowbands on,” I tell her, my voice raspy. She grins at me and pushes me back onto the bed. In the pre-dawn light, the only thing illuminating her is the glow from the one on her neck, still, and the ones around her wrists. It’s super-sexy. Super, _duper_ sexy. But I giggle, and she pauses.

“What?”

“No! No it’s okay. Don’t stop, Sweetie.”

She lifts my leg up, nipping at my ankle, before her teeth and lips trail along the inside, all the way to my thigh. “We should do this again, Sam.”

Lara stops talking, her mouth busy with other things. 'Pretending to be a random rave hook up' night was the best idea, _ever_.


	35. Bad Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> University Days. Lara and Sam celebrate surviving finals by attempting to cook a delicious meats that Sam once had while traveling in the states. It turns out to be a bad idea.

This is a bad idea. But that's what makes it the most _awesome_ of ideas. We'd survived a harrowing ordeal, after all! So this meant we had to _celebrate_. Finals were over, I'm pretty sure I passed so I'm good for another year! And Lara, of course Lara passed. She always passes, but that doesn't mean she doesn't stress out. It doesn't mean the relieved smile she'd given me when we'd settled into the couch hadn't made my insides all squishie.

It meant we are gonna do something daring. Something dangerous. Something deadly.

"Sam," Lara cautions, her voice loud in my ear. I can't help the shiver from it, but I can ignore it. Ignoring it is good, I've been ignoring for five years. 

"Are you ready?" I gesture at the goodies laid out before us. See, my brilliant idea is to try to make fried chicken. I had some real fried chicken a few years ago, when my mom was doing a show in Atlanta. None of that KFC stuff. I think I gave her a heart attack when she came back to the hotel room and I was eating it. I'd never been dragged to the gym so fast in my life. But it was so good, and the girl who'd taken my order had been a cutie.

Basically, it's decadent and delicious and I just fucking passed my classes so I want decadent and delicious with my best friend!

"We're going to die," Lara intones, even as she starts to help me prep everything. We have a laptop up with the recipe. Lara's a genius when it comes to complicated things so I think we have a good shot at making this chicken. It can't be any different than all the detail she has to get into when it comes to prepping a dig site, right? And don't discount my own work. Prepping a shot and a scene, or editing video isn't exactly playing around in MSPaint!

"We are not, stop that! Okay so we have the flour, and we need to roll the chicken around in the flour and I am _so_ not touching that raw chicken. That's all on you, babe."

I smile sweetly when she gives me this odd look and I wonder if I'd stepped over some kind of line. But she doesn't call me out, and instead does something far worse. She picks up the chicken and brings it towards my face! 

Screaming, I back away. "Ew ew ew that's so gross!!"

"It's just _chicken_ , Sam!" Lara laughs at me, and gets back to work. Flour and then breading and then it's going to be so yummy.

I fold my arms and stick my tongue out at her like the adult I am. "Salmonella!"

"Is the oil heated?" She flicks her fingers at me and I dive for cover.

Keeping a safe distance from her, I check on the giant pot on the stove. "It looks like it's boiling."

"We could have ordered out, you know. Instead of asking your friend for her recipe and burning the flat down." Lara looks over at the screen again and shakes her head." _Sugar_." I think she mutters something under her breath as she washes her hands, but I don't quite catch it. 

"She was really sweet. And it was so, so good. You'll love it, I promise!"

Lara groans, and brings the chicken over to the pot. "I'm going to spend a week running this off."

"Worth it."

"If you say so."

I rub my hands together gleefully as the chicken slides off the plate and into the pot. Oil literally explodes out the top of the pot. I hit my head on the counter as Lara yanks us backwards. Her reflexes save me from a seriously nasty burn. My head hurts, but I'm safe, with Lara hunched protectively around me.

"Sam, are you okay?" Her voice is strained.

"My ears are ringing and I'm a little dizzy, but I'm fine." I try to pull away, but she just holds me closer. "Uhm. Are you okay Lara?"

"Yeah," She breaths. She takes a moment to inspect me thoroughly and submits to her own inspection. There's a burn on her hand that I force her to submerge in water. That's about when the fire alarm starts going off.

"Sam!" 

I stop her before she moves her hand. "No! Keep it there, I've totally got this!"

The stove must have caught on fire from all the oil and it's spreading to the counter. Heroically, I grab the fire extinguisher and empty it all over the stove. The kitchen is filled with smoke, so I open the window and turn off the fire alarm. Lara is giving me a frantically worried look (which is adorable), but I sternly point at her to keep her hand put. "Okay, so that thing you were saying. About ordering out? I think that's a good idea."

" _Christ_ , you're impossible."

"But you love me for it," I give her a smile and wrap my arms around her. "I think maybe I'll stick to making Mac and Cheese. There's _no way_ I could burn the apartment down that way."


	36. The Figurine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara pokes through the mansion vault while waiting for Sam to get ready to go to the airport. Set between Scars and What Binds The Soul.

I don’t know why I’m in the study right now. Everything is packed and I’m really just waiting for Sam to finish something before we drive to the airport. Maybe I’m a little worried. Hidden in that vault are some incredibly powerful artifacts. I’d hate to think of what could happen with them in the wrong hands. The skulls, and the statue from Egypt. God only knows what else I might find. I may have to invest in a better place to keep such things. They certainly wouldn’t be safe in a museum. 

I pass my old watch. Five-forty-three and thirty-seven seconds. The exact instant the Endurance went down. I press my fingers to it, then turn the dials on the heavy door. The vault is actually an entirely new room. There are no windows in here, and neither my father nor I keep a clock inside. There are things he collected, half of which I don’t fully understand the significance of. I keep the artifacts from Costa Rica, Peru and Thinis separate from each other, mostly out of paranoia. I feel the eyes of the skulls watching me as I look around at the eclectic collection of items from around the world.

My father used to talk about lost cities and hidden civilizations. Supernatural events. Ghosts and demons and all those things that made him a laughing stock in his field. Not for the first time since Yamatai I wish he was alive. I owe him an apology. And a good yelling at. I don’t think he ever mentioned that he’d looked for Yamatai too. I had to find that out from an old compatriot of his and I still don’t know if I’m more angry at him, or at myself.

Inside a drawer are some of the things I’d found as a child. Of course I keep my first find with me at all times, but there are others. When I was ten I found a figurine in Malta. It depicts a winged woman, holding a circular object. Carved into her wings are symbols from several languages. My father had said it was a very important find but I mostly tuned him out. For years I dismissed his stories as being full of shit.

As I hold that figurine, I can feel the energy in the vault shift. I look down at the woman, then look over at the red skull. "They don't like you. My father told me a story once. That you were the high priestess. He said that you looked into the abyss, and the abyss looked back. I thought he was full of it, but now I wonder. What did you see?"

"Lara!" Sam pokes her head into the vault. "There you are! We're gonna miss our flight! Everything is in the car and we're just waiting on you." She spotted the winged woman in my hand and let out a frustrated noise. "We're going on our honeymoon and you're playing with thousand year old artifacts. You can't live and breathe this stuff. They'll be fine while we're gone. Promise."

I put the woman back in her drawer, and close it. "You're probably right. But I'm allowed to worry. Soraya has us on speed dial..."

Sam rolls her eyes and puts her arms around me. "If she finds something we'll put our honeymoon on hold. So what were you looking at? Something to do with the skulls?"

"A figurine I found when I was a child. I don't know if it's related, yet."

"Little Lara Croft, digging in the dirt." Sam laughs as she leads me back into the study. "I'll bet you were _adorable_."

Closing the door and locking it, I turn and give her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm sure I was..."

"Lara."

"Yes Sam?"

"...Nevermind. You're going to be thinking about that stuff the whole ride to the airport. Why don't you tell me what's up with that statue?"

I put my arm around her as we make our way towards the garage. "Well, my father-"

"Wait." Sam digs around in her purse and pulls out her phone. She brings up the camera and points it at me. "Okay. Go."

Rolling my eyes, I continue. "My father claimed it was from _Atlantis_..."


	37. What Happens In Vegas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from Cosmodicy on tumblr : Lara, Sam, Ice Cream and licking. Setting anywhere but must include at least 3 dirty punny jokes.
> 
> Note: No specific setting, just University days Lara and Sam on a vacation

"I'm not sure how you convinced me of this, Sam." I'm walking along with my arm through hers. It's hot. It's not a sticky hot like you'd get back home. It's dry, but oppressive. The kind of heat that made you tired. Like you wanted to close your eyes, and then never wake up.

I separate myself from my friend, as it's too hot for our customary closeness. All around us are bustling people, hurrying through the heat. Though the sun is starting to set, it’s still 35 degrees out and I’m beginning to rue agreeing to Sam’s idea to spend a week in Las Vegas in June.

“It was a good idea at the time, and come on I’ve already won like five-hundred bucks!” She laughs, pumping her fists in the air. Her shirt is sticking to her body and her shorts are so short it’s almost obscene. Despite myself I start to feel even hotter.

“Lets get something to drink, I’m parched.” I grab her arm and start to haul her towards the Bellagio. 

“Lara! Lara Lara!” Sam points at a sign. “There’s ice cream in there!”

“Now that’s an idea.” Now I’m the one being dragged and I let her. I’m sure we’re getting all sorts of looks, but I’m too dehydrated to care. I don’t get a chance to open my mouth before my friend has already ordered a cone with three outrageous flavours for herself, and is handing me a vanilla cone. “How did you know that’s what I wanted?”

“Because I know you, sweetie.” She winks at me as we head outside to sit on a bench, tilting her head and lifting her cone to catch some melting icecream on her tongue. I catch myself staring and focus on my own. It’s certainly refreshing, but we’ll need to buy some water if we’re going to keep walking like this.

“I figured you weren’t into chocolate, otherwise you’d be all over that Zip guy in my computer course." She takes another lick, while her eyes are focused on a group of men across from us. It's a very slow, deliberate lick and I'm suddenly burning up from the inside. Sam possesses the rare ability to press all my buttons. She has me all but wrapped around her finger.

I groan. "Sam, firstly you're the one that's been all over him, and secondly that's kind offensive."

"I'm trying to be punny here," she retorts.

"You're failing." I twist my cone around and notice some of of the blokes looking my way. One leers at me and so I lock eyes with him as I give my cone a good, sensual lick. I'm vaguely aware that Sam is staring too (and does that ever send more signals down past my stomach), but I'm focused more on this bloke. I twirl my tongue around the ice cream and flick it at the top. He sits upright and now that I have his full attention I bite down hard, cutting my cone in half. He visibly winces and crosses his legs, and his friends and Sam explode into laughter. Sam is holding her side with her free hand as she doubles over and I don't think I've seen her laugh quite this hysterically before.

She's laughing so hard she's either going to burst an organ or drop her ice cream, so I save her cone until she calms down.

"Oh...my god...oh my god, oh my _god_ that was fucking perfect! Lara, did you see the look on his face? Did you? Sweetie, that was classic!"

I hold her cone back out to her. Some of the ice cream has melted onto my hand and Sam doesn't even think twice before she licks it off my skin. I gape at her as she winks and says, "Mm. Better than a bowl any day."

I stuff the rest of my cone in my mouth in a desperate attempt to cool down as Sam's tongue does to my fingers what it had just been doing to her ice cream. Finally, I regain the will to rescue my hand from her clutches.

"You're not going to get any of them if you pull something like that."

"Oh Lara. Sweet naive Lara." Sam gets up, then starts to walk back into the casino. "Besides, who says it's them I want?"

"I..what?" I nearly run into her. "You what?"

She turns and winks at me, then leans in, raising her voice so that the men can hear. "Oh _baby_ , I want you to lick my strawberry sherbert!"

I turn as _red_ as a strawberry, even as an incredulous laugh bubbles up out of me. I stare at her in disbelief. "Sam...what?"

"Play along!" She wraps an arm around me, her mouth inches from mine. I know this game. I both love and hate this game, because really, the only person I have any interest in was her. 

"Sam you're _embarrassing_ me..."

She gives me a pout as I pull away. "What if I licked your rocky road?" 

I didn't know whether to be insulted or horrified. Possibly both. I push past her and storm back into the casino before she finds another way to make us look like fools.

"Fuck...! Lara! Come back!" I hear her behind me, trying to keep up. She grabs my wrist and pulls me off to the side. "I'm sorry. I went too far. I'm so sorry."

I slide my hand around the back of her neck and pull her head forward. She freezes in my arms at first but her lips yield to me and her body melts against mine. I'm shaking when I break the kiss. "Is that what you wanted? Lure the blokes in with a game of 'hey want to make me straight?'"

"What if I want an excuse?"

Her question confuses me. "I'm sorry, run that past me again?"

This time it's _her_ hand in my hair and _her_. She's a better kisser than me, more experienced, and I have to prop a hand against the wall to not fall over.

I barely have a chance to breath before she's grabbing my hand and pulling me again. "Sam...?"

"Lara, shush. What happens in Vegas, remember?" She pushed me into the elevator and hit the button for our floor.

Alone finally, I sweep her up into my arms and kiss her against the mirrored wall. "I don't want this to stay in Vegas."

"Good," she says, twirling her fingers in my pony-tail. "So I'll trade you my strawberry sherbert if you'll let me have your rocky road?"

" _Never_ call it that again."

She laughs, the happiest sound I've ever heard. "I just want to make you scream for ice cream."

" _Sam!_ "


	38. I'm Still Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt by nomtheburritos on Tumblr!

Sam’s voice sounds so distant, like she’s on the other side of a wide river and her voice is having problems carrying over the water. I’m reaching for her, I need to hold her again, I need to know she’s allright. I hear her voice again. It’s closer. My body starts to ache. My side especially, but also my back and my head. 

Her face swims into view. When I touch her cheek, she leans into it and smiles at me. God, she has the most perfect smile. “Sam…”

There’s a beeping sound, and as I make my eyes focus I realize I’m in a hospital room. The last thing I remember was being on the ship, sighting land for the first time since we’d been picked up after Yamatai.

I must have made a confused sound, because Sam pushes my hand back down onto the bed. “Hey. Easy. You’re drowning in antibiotics and shit right now.”

“How bad is it?” I don’t have the energy to sit up, and that’s alarming. I try to look around. The window doesn’t look secure and I can’t really see the door from here. My fingers close around the empty air where one of my weapons should be. I’d carried a pistol there for so long that it’s almost second nature. “Sam, we need to go.”

“It’s safe! Lara, we’re safe here, no one is gonna hurt us here.” Her hand smooths back my hair, and does a great deal to set my heart at ease. I still wish I had a weapon. The only thing in reach is the utensils from something Sam had been eating.

I’ve never hurt someone with a spork, but after Yamatai I’m pretty sure I could do it.

Her eyes follow my gaze, and then she nudges the tray far out of reach. “ _Lara_.”

Hearing her scold me like that makes me laugh. That should hurt a lot more than it does, and I wonder what I’m not. It’s like I just don’t care about the pain right now. So I take Sam’s hand. “I love you. If you say everything is fine then … I have to believe you.”

Her expression shifts a little, but I don’t know why. I love her, she’s my best friend, and the stuff I’m on makes me feel too good to care about what I’m saying. I tighten my grip. “Don’t go. Please. I’m afraid if I fall asleep and wake up and you’re gone I might have to tear this hospital apart to find you.”

Tears brim in Sam’s eyes, and she shakes her head. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”


	39. Falling Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> skin-walker-thunder prompt on Tumblr, sorry about how long this took!

I’m freezing. I’m freezing, it’s freezing, we’re freezing. What am I doing out here, and why was this a good idea again? At least the sky is clear. Nothing but stars as far as the eyes can see. They’re really bright. I mean I’ve seen brighter. When we were on the ship, or the times we go backpacking in the country. But for being near a big city, it’s not so bad.

Except Lara disappeared some time ago and I don’t know where she is. It should take this long to get some beers, should it? There’s supposed to be some really heavy meteor activity and we’d planned our impromptu date on top of the manor for a whole twenty minutes and she needs to get her cute tush back up here with my precious beer before I hunt her down and now I’m getting distracted thinking about all the ways I could punish her. But it’s way too cold to do anything about it.

“Sorry. The phone rang, and then I had to look something up and I got a little distracted.” Lara’s voice, as always sends shivers down my spine completely unrelated to the cold. I take the beer she hands me and forgive her.

“Well if it was something important, Lara, I _suppose_ I can accept waiting.” 

My wife sits next to me, and then I envelope her with the blanket so we can snuggle in together. “It’s gorgeous, tonight.”

“Mm,” I agree, my eyes shifting from the sky above us to Lara’s face. She looks so relaxed. Like she’s letting go of the rest of the world for one night to take in the great expanse of the cosmos.

Damn, that’s deep. I need to write that one down.

“Sam, you’re not even looking, you just missed a big one!”

“Sorry. I caught the reflection in your eyes.”

She looks at me, both of her eyebrows disappearing somewhere into her hair line. It takes her long enough to recover that I get a secret thrill. I love flustering Lara. “You’re being exceptionally smooth tonight.”

“I’m hoping to get lucky,” I tell her, affecting my most innocent expression. Something flashed above us and we look up in time to see a meteor streak across the sky. I fall silent, my hand finding Lara’s. Neither of us say anything for a long time, and I lay with my cheek against her shoulder, and her cheek on top of my head. I never want to move. I’m not freezing any more.

“Lara?”

“Yes, Sam?” She shifts, her nose nuzzling into my ear. I can feel her lips quirk as I squirm a little.

“Nn… Stop that… What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing really.”

I sit up a little bit to look at her. “Really? You aren’t thinking about one of the artifacts, or about some find you want to research?”

She shakes her head. “Believe it or not, even I can relax sometimes. It’s just us, in our home together watching the stars. Is something wrong with that?” She bites her lip, and I think maybe I’ve hurt her a little. I kiss her, quickly, and then a second time, much more slowly.

“No, of course not, sweetie.” I dance my fingers up her ribs and I’m rewarded with her squirming. “I love this. We need to do things like this more often.”

Lara’s fingers stroke along my cheeks as she cups my face. Her eyes are so deep, and full of so much emotion that I get lost. But I can’t turn away - she won’t let me. I’m afraid I’m going to start crying or something if she doesn’t stop looking at me like that.

“We will,” she promises. “Every moment with you is precious, and something to be cherished.”

The weight behind her words threatens to drown me. I know where it comes from, I know what _she’s_ afraid of. It’s a lot like what keeps me up at night. I place my hands over hers, sniffling. “God, if people knew you were such a sap…If we weren’t already married I’d propose to you right now.”

“We are _not_ having another wedding!”

She sounds so aghast that I just start _laughing_. Lara pushes at my forehead with two fingers. “So about that sex you ever planned on having again?”

“You can’t possibly resist me for long,” I taunt her. Lara gets this devious look on her face.

“Would you like to test that theory?”

Shit.


	40. Three A.M.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partially inspired by a conversation with Cosmodicy on tumblr (SLEEP IS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL!) and also influenced by a suggestion from thedemonsreflection from there and also an anon's suggestion.

I can hear soft music coming from Lara’s room, over the sound of rain pattering on the rooftop. It’s got to be, what, four in the morning? I roll over to look at the clock, and the numbers are blurry but it’s a few minutes shy of three-thirty. Tomorrow isn’t even a school day. Why is she up? It’s the weekend! She should be sleeping in until the late late hour of nine. Nine for Lara is like, six to me, but still sleeping in late for her. 

Rolling onto my back, my tired mind tries to run through anything Lara might have said last week. Was there a lecture? Some kind of event? Last month she’d kept bringing up this exhibit she wanted to go see. I’d woken up to see her looking down at me. It was like...eight on a Sunday, and she looked about as alert and perky as I’d ever seen her. I mean she had to bribe me with coffee just to get me out of bed. What can I say, I have a weakness for hazelnut and Lara’s pouty lips. I got some good footage of that exhibit, too!

The music isn’t going away, and my mind won’t shut up about what I might have forgotten. Doesn’t Lara know that sleep is for the beautiful? I’m very beautiful and I very much need my sleep.

Like the zombie that I am, I shuffle out of my room and across the hall. I push the door open to look inside. Lara’s awake. She’s so awake, and weaving around the room in her tighty whities. She’s _dancing_. It’s kind of hypnotic, and I follow the way her hips sway and how she isn’t wearing a shirt and god she’s so hot.

The music isn’t anything to speak of, just whatever was on the radio, and Lara doesn’t usually have this much rhythm so she has to be at least a little tipsy. There’s a half-empty bottle on her dresser which confirms my hunch

I turn to go and get my camera because this is the best blackmail material _ever_ when Lara’s hand grabs my arm. She pulls me back into the room and spins me around so we’re dancing together. My nightshirt is so flimsy that I can feel the heat of her body as though I’m not even wearing one. Her hips lock into mine when I put my hands on her lower back. It seems like the safest place. Even though it suddenly feels like fireworks going off in my stomach.

We sway to music I can barely hear over the sound of my pounding heart or Lara’s breath in my ear. I can imagine the way her lips look. Imagine the way they’d feel on my earlobe and kissing at my jawline and I realize I’m not imagining anything when they press against mine.

I’m not drunk enough for this, and I don’t know if she’s too drunk or not. I’m not a saint so I can taste the tequila on her tongue before I find the strength to pull my head back.

Lara’s face is streaked with tears.

“Oh sweetie…” I try to brush them away with my fingers and she nuzzles her face into my hand. “Talk to me.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not important. I was just trying to...” Lara waves her hand, as though she were trying to explain what compelled her.

“It’s always important.” The bed isn’t safe. If I take her over to the bed I’ll lose what little self-control I have. Which would be so wrong. Instead I push her into her chair and kneel in front of her. “Talk to me. Lara.”

She wipes at her eyes and is silent for a long time. Then she pats her hand on my head and strokes her fingers through my hair. “The _Endurance_ is missing. Got a call from Reyes, she said Roth radioed a mayday off the coast of Chile and hasn’t been heard from since. They can’t send up search aircraft, yet, but I offered to try to grease some palms if it could help...”

I stand up quickly and slide into her lap to hug her tightly. It takes a lot to get Lara to dip into her fortune. But Roth is like a father to her. Maybe more a father than her birth-father by now. He practically raised her and as much as she professes her independence I don’t think she’s ready to let him go. He’s kind of gruff, and I like him. He pulled me aside once to ask me my intentions towards Lara. I pretended to not know what he was talking about to save everyone some embarrassment. “I’m sure he’s fine, honey. He’s got Grimm doesn’t he? That man could sail through a swarm of tornadoes in a hurricane while wrestling a bear.”

“Sam, I don’t know what I’ll do if I’ve _lost_ him. I don’t have any family left. Just you and him. ” Her grip tightens around me. I’m not going to be able to escape until she decides to let go of me. She reaches for the bottle and I catch her hand.

Lara’s parents had just disappeared one day. She must be going through that same feeling of helplessness. Not being able to do anything while waiting and waiting for news. I’m not sure why she’d ended up dancing except she usually likes to keep moving when she’s feeling distressed. Maybe it was too wet to go for a run.

She kisses the side of my neck and I wonder if she’d _wanted_ me to find her like that. It felt like she was looking for excuses to just act and not have to think about things. Lara’s proud, she never asks for help. And she doesn’t like to admit when she needs comfort but I can feel her shaking. This isn’t _like_ her and it scares me. But I know what’ll distract her. She just needs something to focus on. 

If it was me, I’d already be in a club trying to drag a guy to the ladies room. Her face presses against my throat and her tears are fresh and warm. “Lets go for a run, sweetie.”

“It’s raining outside.”

“That never stopped you before.” I tilt her head up and kiss her cheek. “We’ll take your phone in case someone calls. But I think some exercise will help you.”

Lara’s eyes dart over to her bed, then back to my face. God that sounds so fucking good, but I shake my head. “I know you’re feeling really lonely right now but how many times have you told me I don’t need to jump in bed with someone just to feel something?”

She looks hurt. “Sam, it wouldn’t be-” 

I shush her with a kiss before escaping her grasp and tossing a shirt at her. She moves a little more slowly than usual, but is still ready before I am. I touch her arm at the door. Her head is bowed and I’m terrified I hurt her or pissed her off or something. She glances at me, eyes still red and puffy, before opening the door to the rain. 

It’s _cold_. Really fucking cold and it makes my skin and scalp hurt and wakes me up. Lara seems to sober up next to me. I’m not out of shape, but I’m not in Lara’s shape either, so I spend the first mile staring at her soaking wet back. Her muscles tense and relax underneath her t-shirt, and her pony-tail bounces off of her shoulders, back and forth in time to her running. It’s almost as hypnotic as her hips.

My legs are burning, but I’m determined to keep up with her. I feel like I have to. If Roth really is gone, she’s lost her dad. She’s also lost a big part of her childhood. I’ve been on that ship, I’ve met the crew. Lara practically grew up with them. Suddenly, it’s not just the rain making my face wet. _I have to be there for her._ I’m all she has, and if I really admitted it to myself, she’s all I’ve got too. Sure, my parents are alive, but they might as well be dead for all they interact with me.

She pounds the pavement ahead of me, running like she’s trying to escape something. I manage to catch up to her at an intersection. Her hand finds mine and our fingers interlock. “Feel a little better?”

Lara pushes hair out of her face. “Yes. Thank you. I’m sorry about, uhm…” She twirled her free hand. “I needed...”

I roll my eyes and give her an out. “You’re drunk, that’s all.”

Her eyes shift a little, but she nods her head and squeezes my hand tightly. “I suppose that’s all.” Lara’s pocket buzzes and she fumbles for it. Her shoulders suddenly sag and she lets out this relieved, slightly hysterical laugh. Her voice breaks. “Oh thank god.”

She shows me her phone, and there’s a text from Reyes. Roth and the Endurance are battered but okay. Even through the rain Lara’s crying again. I wrap my arms around her and she leans into me.

“Remind me to kill that northern bastard for doing this to me.”

“It’ll be his fault if we’ve caught colds. We’ll send him the bill for the nyquil.”

She laughs again, and texts Reyes back to thank her. “I’m too wired to sleep now, and I feel like doing _something._ ” 

“We could go back to dancing,” I suggest.

She glanced at me and shakes her head. “I don’t think I’m up for a club right now.”

“Me neither.”

Lara focuses very intently on a tree across the street, her cheeks turning a little red. “. I don’t know what I was trying to do. I could have just sat there and cried or taken off or _something_...But I tried to read. I tried to sleep, I finally tried to drink to see if it would help me sleep. Just thinking that he might be gone...I froze up.”

I take her hand again and start to drag her down the street. “I think I know what you were trying to do.”

“Enlighten me then.”

“That’s easy.” I turn around to talk to her while walking backwards. “You wanted to be numb. Besides it’s not like you could have flown out there and rented a rowboat.”

Lara looks at me, then raised her eyebrows. “...I should probably cancel that airline ticket, then.”

I can’t tell if she’s joking or not, but this is Lara Croft. She’d do it. She’d rowboat into a storm for someone she loved. “Hungover while on an eighteen hour flight. I’m so stoked I’m influencing you. My baby is growing up!”

I deserve the smack to my shoulder, but it’s worth it for her smile.


	41. First Kiss ... sort of.

It’s been a really long night for both of us. Sam is exhausted, but follows me into my room after we shed our jackets and shoes. She sits on my bed and looks up at me. Her too-short skirt rides up in a way that’s impossible not to notice and I have to chastise myself for looking.

“Sorry, Lara.”

“It wasn’t your fault. Some blokes can’t take no for an answer. They deserve what they get.”

She smiles at me, and takes my hand, rubbing her fingers over my bruised knuckles. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you got jealous.”

“That’s ridiculous. I was just...you weren’t into him. I was just being your wingman.”

“I like that. You make me feel safe.” She flops back in my bed, then shifts position so that she’s got her head on my pillow. She looks so tired, and I don’t expect her to stay awake much longer. I certainly can’t ask her to leave my bed.

I brush her hair with my hand. “Why don’t you stay here tonight. I need to do some reading anyway.”

She grins at me, and I get up to turn the light off. I have a lamp at my desk that shouldn’t bother her too much, and settle in for a long night of study. It’s my way of destressing, and I really haven’t been able to focus of late.

I peek up from my book to look at her. Sam’s eyes are closed and there’s a smile on her face. I think she’s asleep. Her breathing seems to be slow and even. I watch her for a few more moments, then look back down at my book. I can’t seem to focus on the words in front of me. Sam keeps drawing my attention. She really is distracting. You’d think we’d be too different to be friends, but we’re still a lot alike. Our similarities just manifest themselves through different behaviour. We’re both stubborn and both passionate about the things we love. She’s as lonely as I am, but where that makes her outgoing, it turned me into an introvert.

Reading is a lost cause at this point. I get up from my chair and turn the desk lamp off. I start towards the door to sleep on the couch or in her bed, then stop. Sam has, several times, snuck into my bed while I’ve been sleeping. I’ve never kicked her out, honestly it feels nice to have someone so close. Growing up, I never really had anything like what I have with her. 

Well then, course decided I carefully crawl into bed besides her and pull the covers up. She’s really warm, and she shifts around, nuzzling into me as though I’m a pillow. I study the bone structure of her face, and in the dim light from the window her lips look so inviting.

I kiss her, then catch myself, yanking my head back so quickly that I roll right off the bed. I hit the ground in a heap, jarring my shoulder and seeing a series of bright spots. Sam’s head peeks over the edge of the bed. “Lara?”

“Sam. I’m okay. It’s okay. Just had a… I lost my balance.”

She smiles, and yawns sleepily. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor, sweetie. Come up here.” Her head withdraws. I lift my own and to my surprise, Sam is already asleep.

“Shit.”

I pull myself back into bed and lay stiffly on my back. More than the pain in my shoulder or the embarrassment from falling out of the bed, I can feel this warm tingle on my lips.

“ _Shit._ ”


	42. Bad Movie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on an Anon prompt on tumblr. Set post-Lessons and pre-Scars.

Okay, so get this. Now that Lara and I are officially going out, we’re trying to do couples things, right? I mean in a lot of ways it’s pretty much the same thing we always do. We’ve always cuddled on the couch, or hung out or whatever. But now it’s _official_. We’re a thing. A _thing_. So we gotta do this right, you know? Like the other night, we had this _great_ time going out to eat. Lara actually got my hint about following me to the bathroom, even. 

_I got to bang my girlfriend in the ladies room of an upscale four-star restaurant._ I mean holy shit Lara Croft is my girlfriend. And we’ve already kind of lasted longer than most of my other relationships, so I’m gonna knock on wood. Wood in this case being my skull.

So we’re gonna do a movie. I let Lara pick it out, because I want it to be something that she’ll enjoy and I can pretty much enjoy any movie I see, even if all I’m doing is tearing apart the cinematography. 

The theater is pretty empty so we have our picks of seats. I haven’t heard good things about this movie, but I’m willing to give a shot. Reviewers tended to be stupidly wrong a lot of the time anyway. I know we’re in for a ride when I see the font they used for the opening titles. You can tell a lot about someone from the font they choose.

I pop some popcorn into my mouth and then snuggle in against Lara. She glances down at me and there’s a few seconds where she kind of tries to figure out what she’s supposed to do. I take her arm and put it around me. Seriously, Lara?

You really shouldn’t judge a movie in the first ten minutes, but oh my _god_ how can I not? The plot is a mess, the acting wooden, and the cinematography should be considered a _war crime_.

Really, you could torture someone with this and they’d be screaming for mercy! I’m about ready to scream for mercy! “Laaaara…”

“Shh, it’s getting ...interesting?”

 _Seriously, Lara?!_ I sit upright and stare at her like she’s some kind of alien lizard woman. She shushes me again and pulls me back down against her chest. Oh god. She’s going to make me sit here and watch this entire movie. I hardly ever walk out of a movie. I want to walk out of this one. And she likes it? If she actually likes this movie I don’t think we can be girlfriends. 

Another thirty minutes drag on, agonizingly slow. I’m about ready to recite my name, rank and serial number when Lara moves against me. She makes a scoffing sound, then looks at me uncertainly. Oh. _Oh_. I bolt out of my seat, grab her hand, and haul her right out of that torture session. “That movie should be banned for human rights violations!”

“And just ...what? Sam it was..okay you didn’t like it?”

I turn on her. “Did you??”

“Not really. It was kind of terrible.”

“Thank god.” I wrap my arms around her neck. “Because I don’t think this relationship could have worked out if you’d actually liked that movie.”

She rolls her eyes. “So we still have two hours left of our evening. What should we do?”

“Something with alcohol, I need to wash the horrors away.”

Lara gives me a dubious look. “Why don’t we pick up a bottle of something nice and rent a movie we know is good?”

“And make out on the couch?”

Her eartips turn pink. “And snog on the couch.”

She’s so adorable. And she’s mine, and she loves me. And I love her. And she’s so so adorable that I kind of flail and fangirl at the idea of this. “Okay that sounds like a much more awesome date. Our night is saved!”


	43. Bubble Bath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks after the end of Scars, Lara and Sam take a short little vacation and Sam makes Lara take a much needed relaxing bath.

We’re still planning our wedding out, and Sam says she ‘wants to check out a venue.’ I’d thought that her mother had already selected something for us, but I play along since it’ll mean a few days away and I could really use a break. I’ve spent the past few weeks reading through old documents and trying to figure out some way to free Sam of Himiko once and for all. I had some ideas, including what I remembered from Shaw’s lab, but nothing that looked particularly _safe_.

I decide to surprise her and book two nights at a nice hotel. That will give Sam plenty of time to check out the venue and give us both some downtime. Thinis and the attack in the desert are still fresh in my memory. Time was I would have spent every waking moment researching further. Obsessing, really. It’s hard enough to pull myself away, and almost causes me physical pain to do so, but for Sam I do it. 

She gives me the _dirtiest_ look when I pull out my notebook at the hotel though. “Lara Croft, you take me to this fucking _awesome_ suite and you’re going to _study?_ Put that away or so help me god I’m going to spank you. I might anyway, but put it away!”

Holding up a hand in surrender, I stuff the notebook back into my luggage. “All right! When you put it that way...So what is your plan for tonight?”

“That’s a secret.” She pecks me on the cheek and disappears into the bath. I hear the sound of running water and she comes out a moment later.

“So your great secret is a bath?”

“A nice, warm, relaxing bath. But it’s not for me, sweetie. It’s for you. What was the last time you really let yourself relax?” She sits on the bed next to me and starts to help me with my shirt. The idea of a hot bath is immeasurably appealing. 

“Months, honestly. Am I at least allowed to read?”

“Only if it’s something fictional.”

“Really, Sam?”

“ _Really_ , Lara.”

I turn around and elbow her lightly. “Well do you have any suggestions?”

“I just finished one that I liked, you can totally borrow it. The lead is _really_ hot.” She gets up and runs into the bathroom. The flow of water stops, and she races back out. “Hurry, while it’s still hot!”

I let her push me towards the door. Rather, I lean against her like a dead weight while she pushes and shoves and makes cute grunting sounds. Finally, I relent, and walk in. 

Sam has prepared a bubble bath for me. There’s a soft lavender scent, and the bubbles rise three feet above the side of the tub. “Sam, I’m going to disappear in there. Expeditions will search for me and some of them will be lost, and I’ll never see civilization again.”

“Oh get in the tub.”

The water is almost scorching hot, but I weather it as I sink slowly down. Once I’m mostly submerged, I lean my head back on the lip of the tub and _groan_. Every muscle in my body is singing songs of joy. “Oh god, Sam, you have the most brilliant ideas.”

She appears through the forest of bubbles and kisses me, soft and tender. “Damn right I do.”

“Mmm...maybe you should join me.” I tug lazily on her arm. 

For once she’s the one that’s blushing. “What about reading?”

“I can barely keep my eyes open. This feels _fantastic_.”

Sam clearly doesn’t need any more of an excuse. She’s already naked and crawling into the tub. “Oh..shit this is hot!”

“Deal with it, love.”

My fiance snuggles in next to me. I put an arm around her and hold her close. I’m not in the mood for anything more and she doesn’t push. We doze together, safely enclosed in a fortress of bubbles.


	44. The Reason to Go On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While in Japan, Sam reflects on the Sun Goddess inside of her. Contains some spoilers for What Binds The Soul, set roughly around chapters 9 and 10.

Lara can’t know. I mean, she _knows_. The Sun Queen is there at the back of my mind. I could feel her power flow through me in Egypt and in Turkey. It’s still there now, this power inside of me. I just need to look up at the sky and will the clouds into being and it’s raining. I can make them part with a thought and it’s easier each time I try. Lara hates it. She’s at the library now, probably researching. I don’t know if it’ll do any good.

It feels good to walk in the rain. The water cascades from above, drenching me and making my clothing stick to my body. I like this part. With my father gone, it makes me feel better. It’s what I deserve, sometimes. I wasn’t the best daughter. But he was a terrible father, too, so maybe that evens it out.

I think Lara’s at the library doing more research on Himiko. Lara has been trying to give me space when she thinks I need it, but mostly I just want her holding me when I feel down.

But the thing she can’t know, the thing she’s not allowed to know is that I’m starting to _like_ it. I like the power, I like feeling like I can protect her. Part of me gets this sick thrill when I call down the lightning.

God, what’s _wrong_ with me? I almost killed Lara! I should divorce her. Keep her as far away from me as I can get her, but she’ll just follow me. She’ll find me and she’ll do everything humanly possible to rip this bitch out of me.

The rain starts pounding down even harder. Every drop stings like a bullet and for the first time since the temple on Yamatai Himiko is truly there. I fall to my knees and cover my face. Himiko tears at my consciousness, ripping and snarling and demanding I give her her freedom. I don’t know if she means by taking me over or by being released into the afterlife and I don’t think the Sun Queen knows either, anymore. This maddening _need_ to be _free_ ripples through me and I’m on my feet and running. The wind whips up around me until trees are bending from the sheer force of it and there’s Himiko. It’s like she’s clawing her way out of my eyes. No, no, she’s _pushing_ me out.

I don’t let her. I can’t let her. Lara isn’t here to destroy her body. There’s nothing to stop her from destroying me, except for _me_.

 _This is_ my _body!_

The wind dies, and the rain returns to a gentle patter. I slide to the ground again and hug my knees. I’m so tired, but the beast isn’t stirring anymore. In fact, it feels like she’s sitting there atop a rhetorical throne, smiling smugly. Was she testing me?

I don’t even know if I won.

Lara finds me there, and I lift my head up to smile at her. I don’t say anything, but she picks me up. I curl in against her as she carries me back into my parents’ home. I know I need to fight Himiko for myself, but I can’t help but imagine what Lara would do without me. She would never admit it, but I think she depends on me. Maybe a little too much. I was her reason to go on, four years ago. And she can be my reason to fight Himiko off.

But she can’t know that sometimes I don’t even want to.


	45. The Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set between Lessons and Scars, Lara is late for a date with Sam, so Sam goes to the most likely place she can think of. She doesn't expect what she finds.

Lara Croft is at the library. Of _course_ she’s at the library.When I can’t find that woman that’s usually where she is. I’ve known her how many years now and she never fails to disappear amongst all those books and old maps and other dusty things. It’s really kind of adorable but this is life or death. She’s _late for our date_.

When she doesn’t show up at six, I give her until six-thirty. At seven, I leave the apartment and go looking for her. When I signed up to be her girlfriend I really should have expected something like this. I love her, but she’s so frustrating. But then she was never all that date-smart to begin with. We’re kinda opposites that way. I’m working on teaching her, and enjoying every bit of it.

I arrive at the library and make a bee-line for the stuffy and boring section, but Lara isn’t there. I try the less stuffy but just as boring section. Still not there. Maybe she already left? But usually she texts me when she’s on her way home. Sometimes she forgets though. And tonight we had _plans_ so I’m kind of going to throttle her when I find her. I like to dress up, but I _really_ like to dress up for her and tonight I have this silver number with a slit up one side and I was expecting to make her forget how to English.

But nope. No Lara. I’m not even sure where to look now. I’ve been through the stuff sections. So I check languages, even the film section because she does pay attention to me when I talk shop. Not there.

I’m feeling a little alarmed. I mean she hasn’t really pulled something like this since before.. yeah. She’s been almost paranoid about making sure I’m okay, and checking in with me so I know _she’s_ okay. Maybe that’s not entirely healthy but I’m not gonna _stop_ her.

I’m passing by the children’s section when I hear her voice. I stop, turn around, and peek around a book shelf. 

Lara is sitting against a display, a big book in her lap and surrounded by like… eight kids. They’re all under ten, and they’re all listening intently as Lara reads to them. There’s a small pile of books to her left. My face hurts from the smile this put on it. I quietly pull out my phone and snap a few pictures, then switch to video as I get closer.

She glances up and blinks at me. Realization crosses her face when she sees how I’m dressed but I hold up a hand and mouth for her to keep reading as I sit down in a tiny little chair in the back.

Looking sheepish, and a little guilty, Lara turns back to the book in her lap. “Did we say so, precious? Show the nassty little Baggins the way out, yes yes. But what has it got in it’s pocketses, eh? Not string, precious, but not nothing. Oh no! gollum!” 

She’s reading The Hobbit, and even better she’s making _the voices_! I kick my feet a little because all the little ones are just sitting there completely enraptured. This is almost better than a date. I point at her, because she still owes me one. She did promise.

Lara smiles at me, and continues. “‘Never you mind’, said Bilbo. ‘A promise is a promise.’”


	46. The Scrapbook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon wanted something surprisingly domestic. Set sometime after Lara and Sam are wed, they try to put their lives into a scrapbook.

"Is this really necessary?"

I grab Lara's hand and squeeze it. "It's totally, 100% necessary sweetie." She gives me this look, like she's not entirely sure she believes me, then takes a breath and presses down into the scrapbook.

It was the therapist's idea. Putting together a scrap book of our lives together. Everything, good and bad, in one package. The first picture Lara had picked out had been the one of us graduating. The one she’d recovered from the Endurance. I still can’t believe she grabbed it. I mean she was just there to get some tools, but she saved the picture too. Just thinking about it makes me feel weepy.

The rest of the page and the next two we fill up with our days together at UCL. Our adventures together, hiking and climbing and partying. I really live a print out from this club we went to. Lara’s tipsy and it was the first time I’d seen her really let loose and have fun.

Lara still has some ticket stubs from a concert she’d dragged me to, and I’d saved a broken shoelace. 

“What was that from?”

“Belgium,” I reply. Her eyes widen as she remembers, then she starts to laugh.

“That’s a good one, that definitely needs to go in.”

We have a group photo from the Endurance, and that gets it’s own page. The page after it we keep blank.

There are still a lot more pages, though, and we’ve gotten to the part I’m really excited about. The part where it’s _us_. Me and Lara. Lara and me. Together. _Together_ together. I put our plane stub to Costa Rica there, and a snapshot I’d taken of our camp site. “We really need to get frisky in a sleeping bag again.”

Lara’s nose wrinkles up, but she smiles. “I can’t believe our first time was in a _tent_.”

I level my own look at her. “Really? You can’t possibly believe that you, Lara Croft, would fuck the ever living hell out of me in a tent.”

“Sam!”

Her embarrassment gives me life.

We fill up more pages of memories. The people we’ve met, places we’ve gone together. Our wedding invite and wedding pictures, receipts and stubs from our honeymoon. Lara wraps her arms around me after awhile, silently pensive, or maybe just thoughtful.

“What are you thinking?”

Her lips brush against my ear. “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. That scrapbook has frivolous things in it, but it also has deeply meaningful things.”

“That’s life, isn’t it?” I twist around in her arms and rub my hands into her thighs. “Deeply meaningful moments, and really silly frivolous ones, and all the crap in between.”

“We’ve both seen so much.”

“Yeah.” I close the book and rest it between us. Lara’s eyes are looking past me, to somewhere else. “But it’s kind of nice to have something that pulls it all together, isn’t it?”

Her eyes focus on me again, and she grins. “Yes, I think so too.”

That’s life. Deep and shallow, bad and good. I lift the book back up and open to the blank page. The one between the Endurance crew and pictures from our first Christmas after Yamatai. “We should put something here. It’s not right to forget it, and we’re not healed if we pretend it didn’t happen.”

“When did you get to be so wise, Sam?”

“I’ve been around you too long.”

She elbows me, then starts to dig through a battered box. She pulls out an old yellow envelope, then carefully takes out a makeshift headband with a surprisingly well preserved white flower on it. I stare at it, but I don’t feel much. Sadness mostly. Not too long ago I would be shaking and sweaty, but now it’s just a flowered headband.

“I thought you threw that overboard.”

Lara shrugs, then presses it into the scrapbook. “I couldn’t. I don’t know why. Even then I didn’t know why. I think maybe I wanted proof that something beautiful could have come from that island. That there might be something left to hope for.”

“You know what I think about it now?”

She looks at me quizzically. I lean over and close the scrap book. “I think we can close that chapter.”


	47. Yearning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set not long before In This Together, Sam is starting to realize her feelings for Lara. Based on a prompt by princeoftherogues on tumblr!

Have you ever wanted something so bad that it hurt? Like your insides are twisting around and getting stabbed by a thousand little knives. Like your chest is going to explode, or implode, or do-something-plode. I think I’m in love with Lara.

It kinda snuck up on me. Like it really sank in while she was in the hospital. Hooked to all of those machines, her body battered and broken. I hadn’t understood what she’d gone through, not right then, not completely. I knew she’d killed people. I knew she’d nearly gotten killed herself. But I don’t think I really… got it. She went through all of that for _me_. Like if I’d actually died I wonder if she wouldn’t have just given up. But maybe I’m just giving myself too much credit. 

But it’s not just love. Or even just lust (like when we train, and she pins me, I can’t possibly be the only one turned on). I kind of need her. No, I totally _need_ her. I get antsy when she’s not around. And I’d say it’s just me but the one time I was late coming home she worked herself up into a frenzy about it, so I know she’s antsy about me. So I just held her, her chin on my head and we didn’t let go for hours. There was no Sun Queen here, no Mathias or mad cultists, but I couldn’t let go of her if I’d wanted to. 

She’s so beat up because of me. There’s scars on her stomach and her shoulders, marks on her legs and her hands. There’s one on her back too, near one shoulder blade. They’re all mostly healed by now but I look at them and I know it’s all my fault. And Lara won’t admit it, but she has a vain streak. I keep telling her she looks so hot. I don’t think she believes me, but when we’re cuddling and I trace her scars she doesn’t flinch any more. So maybe I’m getting through to her. 

I know I love her. But I don’t know if it’s because of our trauma, or because I really do. And I don’t want to say anything or even really think about it until I know for sure because if I fuck this up I’ll lose her and I know I couldn’t survive that. I mean I probably could but I don’t _want_ to. I’m afraid it might destroy her. Sometimes, even when we’re in the same room, I yearn for her, because she’s not really here.

I’m yearning for her right now. Her eyes are far away, and her fingers twitch. I put my hand on her arm and she jumps. “Earth to Lara.”

“Sorry… I was thinking.”

“About what?” I sink onto the couch next to her, and she leans into me.

“Nothing important.”

I look at her, and she looks away. I keep looking at her until she sighs, and her shoulders sag. “What happens next time?”

“Next time?” What is she talking about next time? She can’t possibly be thinking we need to go _back_ to that hell hole?

“I don’t know. But I can’t stay locked away from the world forever.”

“But you aren’t locked away. What about those three weeks in Greece?”

“Three perfectly safe weeks in tourist approved areas.” She fixes me with a look. “Which was fine and really what we needed, but I need to _explore_ Sam. I need to find new things. I need to find _answers_. Maybe I’ll figure out the questions on the way.”

“Not alone.” I put my hand over hers. I haven’t been the only one yearning. Lara’s been dying to get herself out of this rut. “So where are we going?”

“Sam…”

“No! No way in hell am I letting you go somewhere alone!”

She looks at me, fear in her eyes. “I can’t _lose_ you.”

“Lara, _please_. Do you really think I could lose _you_? Someone has to keep an eye on you. Besides, you can’t operate a camera.”

The fear fades, replaced by a little bit of indignation. “Sam, I know how to use a camera.”

“You know how to use a camera, but you don’t know how to _operate_ one. Big difference. I should know. I have a degree.”

She smiles, her eyes on me and the here and now. “Costa Rica.”

“What?”

“We’re going to Costa Rica.”


	48. Unicorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> University days. That one time Lara accidentally got into Sam’s special mint tin.

So I’m out all day, doing the shopping thing because I _really_ need a new pair of sneakers, and I figure Lara’ll be okay, because she’s always okay and she’s got shit to do anyway. Studying or some kind of research, I think she mentioned Japan at one point and I gave her the eye because I _know_ she’s been listening to me go on and on about my ancestor.

But I get home, and there’s Lara sitting on the couch. She’s got her head leaning back on the back of the couch and there’s this really fluffy persian cat in her lap and she’s just petting it over and over and she has the biggest grin on her face.

Okay, I think. Where’d Lara get a cat from? She opens her eyes and looks at me. They’re dilated and I get this sinking feeling in my stomach when I see the mint tin on the table.

“...Lara, did you take one of my mints?”

“Mmhm.”

“Did you take one of the mints with the unicorn on it?”

“Mmmhmm.”

Oh my god. Oh my _god_.

Lara lifted up the cat. “I found her. She’s really soft, Sam.”

“Did you just...Lara that cat _belongs to someone_. You can’t just take someone’s cat home.”

She grabs my hand and rubs it over the cat’s fur and giggles. “Soft.” Then her hand rubs up and down my arm and my mind starts going places, which is really bad. 

I pull my hand away but she has a good grip. She lets the cat go and tugs me onto the couch. “Lara, Lara, that wasn’t... those were my special party mints.” She’s gonna kill me. They’ll bury me under a tombstone that says ‘Death by accidentally drugging bestie.’

Lara buries her face in my neck, and her voice is muffled. “Special party mints? Whatever they are, I feel _wonderful_.”

“Well duh. How do you feel?” I stroke at her hair and I swear she purrs a little.

“I feel amazing.” She strokes my cheek with the back of her hand and gives me an adoring look. “I need to tell you something, Sam.”

I put my finger over her mouth. “Whatever you wanna tell me can wait until tomorrow, okay? When you’re not high as a kite.”

“Sam...Samantha… what was in that tin?”

“Unicorns, Lara.” I mean I’ll have to explain it to her eventually, but as long as she’s in this state of blissful ignorance, I’m not going to ruin that.

“And how did you manage to find one of those?” Lara asks, as though it’s the most natural thing in the world for there to be a unicorn. She shifts, her fingers digging into my hips and _god_ I wish I’d popped one. It’s not like I do it that often, but if we were both out of our heads … 

Swallowing, I scootch to the other side of the couch. “I know a guy.” Alex knew how to hook me up. 

“You know a guy who can find unicorns?” She pulls her knees up onto the couch and hugs them with one arm, smiling at me over them. She’s _adorable_. Her other hand lands on my shin and rubs and I’m suddenly not sure which of us is enjoying that action more.

The last time I’d had one of those I’d spent like an hour just rolling around in my sheets. Which were silk. And suddenly I know just how to keep Lara from getting into trouble or stealing any more cats.

I hop up and pull her with me. “Come on, sweetie!”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ve just _got_ to feel my sheets right now,” I tell her. “We’re gonna put a movie on, and we’re going to cuddle and watch it.” And when she comes down off the ecstasy, I’ll be there to help her through it, too. It’s the least I could do.

She smiles again. And it’s so disarmed and fond and _happy_ that tears prick my eyes. I put my arm around her and guide her to my room. “Promise me something, Lara?”

“Anything for you.”

“Don’t hate me tomorrow.”

Her expression sobers up just a little. “Never, Sam. Never. I love you.” She kisses my cheek, and I wish so hard that she means that the way I want her to and not the way she probably does. 

“Love you too, sweetie.”


	49. MREs and Jaffa Cakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lara and Sam take their new ward Dolma and Reyes’ daughter Alicia on a camping/expedition trip. Sam disagrees with what Lara brought for them to eat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on a prompt from @plastic-pipes on tumblr (Warning: set after What Binds The Soul! Contains some spoilers!)

Alisha is a few years older than Dolma, but the two get along pretty well. It was Alisha’s idea to bring the other girl along, and when I saw how interested Dolma was, I couldn’t say no. As long as the girls can keep up, then I’ve no complaints.

It’s a sort of test run for Alisha. Camping is nothing new to her, but an expedition is another beast all together. The area we selected might actually yield a discovery, but I don’t expect anything more complicated than some pottery or bits of jewellry. But I still remember my very first discovery and sometimes that bit of jewellry can be life-changing.

We reach our campsite just before dark, after several hours of hiking through dense woods and underbrush. Sam has had her camera going the entire time, and now she sets up a tripod so she can record us setting up camp. She swivels it towards me and I roll my eyes, before dumping our tent on the ground.

Everything is brand new. Sam picked out three tents, one for us and one for each of the girls. They’re lightweight but durable and designed to keep somewhat cool during hotter weather and somewhat warm when it cools down. They wouldn’t survive the winter in Tibet, but they’re perfect for a spring camping trip.

I get my tent up in a few minutes. It’s large enough for two people. Sam and I each have a sleeping bag but I half expect her to migrate into mine, or zip them together to form one very large sleeping bag. Either way, I’m going to have to deal with her cold feet.

Alisha gets hers up next, and I move to help Dolma but Sam catches my hand. “Let her do it on her own.”

She’s right, so I have her help me unpack our equipment. Sam has her camera case and I brought along the bare minimum for an expedition - rope and grapples, climbing equipment, a shovel, and a kit with brushes and small digging utensils.

By the time I have camp set up just the way I like it, Dolma has her tent up and I feel myself swell up with pride.

“Okay girls!” Sam claps her hands together and rustles through her pack. “Lara brought some really bad food for us to eat, so I made sure to pack us something good!”

“It’s not _bad_.”

“You brought MREs, Lara. _Military rations_!”

“They’re easier to eat, there’s a vegetarian option for Dolma, and they don’t require refrigeration.” I actually quite like them, but Roth relied on them when I was younger and we’d go camping, so I may have developed an affinity.

“Just for that…” Sam pulled out a box of Jaffa Cakes. “One for me… one for Alisha, and one for Dolma. None for you.”

“Sam!” I’m _horrified_ and I’m sure it comes across on my face because she’s laughing at me. So I stick out my lower lip and pout at her.

“Ooh that’s not fair.”

They’re my favorite and I’m not going to let her get away with not giving me any. I pick her camera up. “Hand over the cakes or the camera gets it.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Sam holds the box over the camp fire. “You do, and into the fire they go.”

“Are they always like this?” I catch Dolma’s whisper to Alisha and glance over at them.

“Pretty much.” She nudges the Tibetan girl with her elbow. “Welcome to the family.”


	50. The Mummy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Based on something I’ve actually run across when searching for Tomb Raider in the kindle store. Names changed to protect the not-so-innocent)

“Sweetie, you have _got_ to see this.” Sam’s voice is that sort of sweet tone that means she’s found something hilarious that I’ll probably think is a lot less funny than she does. But she won’t let it go, so I might as well come over and see.

“What have you found this time?”

“Well, I was looking up some stuff to show the kids, you know? Adventure archaeology, like Indiana Jones and stuff. And I found this.”

She turns her laptop screen so I can see. It’s a book with the cover of a woman. The woman is wearing a tank top and uncomfortable short shorts. Incredulously, I read the title out loud. “Iris versus the Mummy, an erotic… _really_ Sam?!”

Sam throws her head back and laughs. “You should read the warning!” She adopts what I can only assume is her attempt at a smokey, sexy voice. “Warning, this story contains an explicit encounter with an ancient Egyptian pharaoh and the _steamiest_ blo-.”

“That’s disgusting!”

“I wasn’t done!”

“There are children present!”

“On another floor!”

I rub my temple. “We are _not_ letting Dolma or Alicia read that. Reyes would murder us in our sleep.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that.” Sam clicks another link. “Oh here we go! I think it’s a sequel. This one includes so much rough pirate sex it’ll leave you bow-legged! Oh hey they've got a collected edition. Where Iris encounters that mummy, a high priestess of sex, and a crew of horny pirates.”

“That’s quite enough of that.” I close the lid of Sam’s computer, then peer down at her. I can’t help but tease, “Is married life that boring to you?”

“What? No!”

“Do we need to spice up our love life?” I shift my voice into the pitch I know gets her attention, and run one calloused finger along her jaw. I’m rewarded with a blush. That alone is a victory to savour. It’s not often I get Sam to blush.

“Just what are you thinking about?” Sam leans forward, turning her head and catching my finger in her mouth and just like that she’s almost managed to reverse our roles. I pull her to her feet then back her into the desk. She grabs onto it and bites her lip. “Yes. Whatever you’re thinking, yes. Especially if it involves one of us dressing up as a pirate.”

“...really?”

“Mmm. You in a swashbuckler’s shirt, with the buttons opened, and a red sash around your waist…” Sam gets a distant look in her eyes as she imagines this.

“From the sound of that story, it’s the adventurer that’s supposed to be ravished by pirates.”

“We can take creative license.”

“Okay. But _next time._.” I lean in close and murmur in her ear. “I’m wrapping you up like a mummy.”

“Okay…” Sam replies, dazed. I pull away, and she snaps out of it.

“Wait, what?!”


	51. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lara celebrates the holiday with her new family. Set the December after the end of What Binds the Soul, she and Sam share their ornament tradition with Soraya, Leda and Dolma, and Dolma introduces them all to a new tradition.
> 
> It would probably help to have read Scars and WBTS, but this can be read without them. It has some spoilers, but nothing super duper major.

“Every year, a new ornament,” Sam was explaining. We had the tree set up, and she was putting up our ornaments from previous years. “We started this tradition when we were at University. God, that was like eight years ago wasn’t it?”

“Give or take,” I said.

She had an audience, besides myself and the cats. Soraya was lounging in a chair, arms around Leda and her face resting against her shoulder. 

The Lebanese woman and her Greek girlfriend had effectively moved in with the two of us and Dolma. It was a strange family, but it was _my_ family. Soraya and I had grown close. She’d known my father and Roth, and had even gone on several expeditions with them in the years just before my father’s death. Getting to know her had been like getting a little piece of my father back.

Our family was missing a few people right now, but Jonah was with his grandmother and Reyes had taken Alisha on holiday, and those three didn’t actually live with us. But they were still family.

Dolma was listening carefully, the teen’s dark eyes focused on my wife. Almost a year ago I’d found her in Tibet, an orphan on the streets with a gift for art. The uncomfortable truth of the matter was that she was more than just _found_ family. The fifteen year old was my half-sister. It was difficult to accept, and with her mother long passed away I doubt we’d ever get all the answers. But even if she wasn’t my sister, I would have taken her in.

Only Sam, Leda and I celebrated Christmas, and Sam and I were a lot more secular in our observations of the holiday. Dolma was exploring various religions with our encouragement and a stack of texts, and we did our best to help accommodate Soraya’s Islamic faith. 

For me, it was the tradition that was important. Every year, a new ornament for myself, a new one for Sam, and a third to represent the union of the two of us. And this year there was another new ornament, for Leda. If Soraya and Dolma wanted to participate, they were welcome to as well.

“I like this tradition,” Soraya said. She leaned back in her chair, a smile crossing her face. For all that she looked like she could kill a man (and she was more than capable of it), she was secretly a really sweet person. Scar on her face and purple hair dye and all. “Year by year, you build on it, and each year you can look back at the memories you’ve shared.”

I remembered the first Christmas after Yamatai, and how hard it had been. The ritual of putting up the tree, of selecting the ornaments, it had helped get me through that time and into the new year. And with the new year came new hopes and new challenges.

“Lara?” Dolma poked me in the elbow, and showed me her sketch book.

“What’s this?” I asked her, taking it.

“I had an idea. A tradition for the new year.”

The page was filled with drawings. Leda on Soraya’s lap, Sam with her arms around me, the cats sprawled on top of Dolma. I flip through the sketch book a little, noting with some amusement the number of sketches of Alisha.

“I’ll draw us,” Dolma said. “At the beginning of the year, the middle, and the end. And we can put the pictures up.” She was constantly drawing or painting anyway, but the sentiment touched me. I returned her sketch book and enveloped her in a hug.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Dolma.” I look up at the others. We’d all been touched by strange things. By weather goddesses and deadly artifacts and things that haunted the night. We’d come through to the other side thanks to each other. We were family. “Like little family portraits.”


	52. Zombies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after What Binds the Soul, but prior reading isn't required! Prompt by @thejennawynn on tumblr

“Zombies don’t actually eat brains.”

Sam looks at me as though I’ve personally offended her. It’s a simple statement, and a true one. She points at me. “Lara, I’ve never said this to you about anything ever, but you’re wrong.”

“I can name three times that you’ve told me I’m wrong, and two of those times I actually was, but I’m not wrong this time.”

She makes a sound, halfway between a scoff and a groan of disgust, and gestures dramatically towards our bluray and dvd collections. Presumably pointing towards her sizable collection of zombie and horror films.

“First of all, Zombies don’t exist, at least not the undead, flesh-eating kind,” I tell her. 

“Lara, we had possessed artifacts. Crystal skulls. _I_ was possessed. We were attacked by a terracotta army and _soulless abominations that may have destroyed Atlantis_. _Atlantis_ Lara.” Sam threw her hands up, her eyes almost wild. “Are you really gonna draw the line at zombies!?”

“Yes! I have to draw the line somewhere and I’m going to draw it at zombies. Who _don’t_ eat brains. There may be evidence of ‘zombies’ in the Caribbean, but that’s more likely clever use of psychoactive drugs and hypnosis, if it's even that.” I don’t generally believe it's anything more than folklore or stories told to frighten people. I’ve seen some incredible things in just the past five years, but zombies? There has to be a _line_. I’ll lose my mind, if there’s no line.

“Lara.” Sam grabs my shoulders, and looks me straight in the eyes. “If, and this is a big if, Zombies don’t eat brains. _Then what do they eat?_?”

“The flesh of the living? The human brain, on it’s own doesn’t have enough nutritional value. It probably has enough calories for a woman of your weight and build for one day. But even a single human would only feed about thirty people for one day. At a healthy calorie count, at any rate. _And_.” I clamp my hand over Sam’s mouth before she could interject. “They’re deceased. How are they going to digest what they’ve eaten? None of their bodily functions work anymore. Even if they’re able to digest, maybe via some kind of hyper bacteria or acid in their stomachs, they have no blood flow, no way to pass the nutrients around to their bodies.”

She licks my hand and I let go. “So you’re saying Zombies don’t actually need to eat anything, they just kill people and devour them for no reason.”

“Yes.” Grimacing, I wipe my hand on her shirt. 

“Somehow, that’s even more terrifying.”

I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Good thing they don’t exist then.”

“Uhm, Sweetie?” She looks at me guiltily. “I might have let the kids watch some of my zombie flicks.”

“Sam!”

She grins at me, trying to give me her sweetest look. “They’re old enough, you know. Teenagers. I watched way worse when I was their age. Besides, they’ve seen way scarier stuff just by being around us.”

Sam isn’t wrong. Just by being close to us, Alisha and Dolma have been exposed to a great deal of danger and trauma. “I’m not sure that’s a point in _either_ of our favors.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dolma is a character introduced in my fic What Binds the Soul


	53. Worship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a little while! A little holiday gift for the fandom!

Sam’s lips are warm and soft on my shoulder and I lean back into her embrace. It’s quiet, only the sound of our breathing and the crackling in the fireplace next to us to break the silence. It'll be the holidays soon, with all that entails with our found family, so we needed this weekend alone together. She’d been on location for a shoot for the past month while I’d been wading through a swamp. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, not worrying about her with me but I’d missed her presence anyway. Or at least her voice in my ear.

Her lips move to the back of my neck, and kiss down my spine as her finger finds a new cut on my hip. “How’d you get this one?”

“Alligator,” I explain. 

Laughing, Sam smooths her hands along my ribs as she trails her tongue back up my vertebrae. It’s a little bit like lightning and the breath in my throat catches. “What’s so funny?”

“Of course you’d fight an alligator and only get a couple scrapes.”

“It wasn’t really much of a fight. If you’d been there your running commentary would probably have sounded disappointed.”

“Of course it would!” Sam slides her hands around to my front, her fingers twitching across my stomach. “Do you realize how many hits the video of you subduing that lion got?”

“No, but PETA protested outside the manor for six months.”

“We should have sicced a lion on them.”

“Sam!”

Her hands cup my breasts, pulling me flush against her chest as I sigh and lean my head back against her shoulder. Her voice is thick and loud in my ear. “Did you get the thing I packed you?”

My skin suddenly grows hot and I can feel her grinning against my skin as she playfully teases me with her thumbs before sliding one of her hands down to my thigh. If she keeps that up we might never make it to the bed. Though that’s probably her intent. “Yes. I still don’t know how you found time to..record that. Or how you made it look so professional.”

“Sweetie, I have access to one of the most advanced editing studios on the planet.”

I sit up and turn towards her. “Sam, you filmed yourself doing... Doing ...doing _that_ on _my_ ship?”

“Our ship,” She reminds me, booping me on the nose. “And yes. Yes I did.”

“I don’t know what I expected.”

Sam laughs, giving me a smug and taunting smile. Taking the bait, I push her onto her back and pin her, careful to avoid pressure on her wrists. Even after all these years the wrong kind of contact with her wrists can sometimes bring back less than pleasant memories and that’s something I understand all too well. But she responds eagerly, craning her head to kiss me as her body arches beneath mine. I kiss her jaw down to the back of her ear, and trail my teeth across her throat.

She breathes my name, and I close my eyes. When I let go of her shoulders so that I could touch her elsewhere, Sam drags her nails down my back, drawing my attention. I lift my head to look at her. The look in her eyes is as hot as the flames of the fireplace. She whispers. “I love you, Lara.”

“I love you too, Sam.” I kiss at her clavicle, and then pepper several more across her pert breasts. “I love you so much.” 

Sam loves the roughness of my fingers, and her response is wordless and needy when I stroke them along the inside of her thigh. Peering up at my wife, I wait for her to notice I’ve stopped. She whines and the cross look she gives me makes me laugh. “Just making sure you’re paying attention.”

“I’m paying attention you _teasing_ little…” She trails off as I bring my hand just briefly between her legs, and her whole body tenses in anticipation.

“We have all weekend, do you really think I was going to let you off that easily?”

She looks at me, wide eyed. “Isn’t that supposed to be something I’d do to you?”

“We have all weekend for that too,” I remind her again.

Her eyes narrow at me, before she lays her head back down. “Well, if you _must_ worship me…I’m descended from a goddess after all.”

I shimmy up her body to kiss her again, before we risk souring the mood with old pains. But she’s wrong. To me, Sam isn’t a goddess. She’s flawed and human, beautiful and imperfect. And those things together, combined with the size of her heart are what make me love her.

I can’t love a goddess, but I sure as hell love my Sam.


	54. Mac & Cheese

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on a prompt from @imafrickinglion.
> 
>  
> 
> ****
> 
> Pre-slash/University days

It had been a late shift at the pub, a particularly difficult one at that. I had to bodily throw someone out and I hadn’t even gotten a round of applause for it. At least I’d gotten off shift early. I was looking forward to getting to the flat and relaxing with a book if Sam actually let me get away with it. Chances were she’d lure me into watching some cheesy old movie like she’d done last year. It was a tradition for her, every night for the last week of the year.

Honestly, I was okay with that idea too. Curled under a blanket with Sam against me, what could be better?

Something smelled like burning, and there were pots and pans banging as I unlocked the door. No. Oh no. She _wouldn’t_...! I rushed inside, and sure enough, Sam was in the kitchen. Black smoke was billowing out of a pan, and there was something in the oven that smelled vaguely cheesy. “Sam!!”

“Lara!” She fumbled the knife she was using and my heart stopped before she put it down. “Uh, I wasn’t expecting you home so early.”

“...What in the world are you doing?”

“Cooking you something special!”

Of course she was. I gave her a look. Sam is a brilliant woman especially when it came to film and cinematography, but her ability to cook ranked somewhere below a pig’s ability to fly. Even I can cook better and my cooking experience is limited to meat over an open fire. “Sam..”

“Don’t look at me like that! I have a recipe and everything.” Sam held up her phone. “I’m making you homemade mac & cheese, with bacon and herbs.”

“Sam…”

“No no! I’ve got the cheese baking in the oven, the noodles are cooking on the stove, and I’m trying to figure out the herbs.”

Somehow, I didn’t think that was at all how the recipe actually went. I’d once watched this woman repair a digital camera in the field and I’m pretty sure she was boiling noodles without water. “Your noodles are on fire.”

“Shit.” Sam reached under the counter and pulled out a fire extinguisher to put out the noodles. “Don’t worry, sweetie! I got this!”

The oven timer went off, so Sam dropped the extinguisher, opened the oven and reached in.

“Sam! Oven mitts!”

“Wow, I’m really not all there today am I.” Sam laughed. She grabbed the mitts and pulled the tray out. “You know, there’s a show back in the states about terrible cooks. Think I’d have a chance?”

On the center of the pan was a charred black puddle. Wordlessly, I picked up Sam’s phone to look at the recipe. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Sam had followed directions on a forum, almost exactly to the letter. I look at the recipe, then at Sam, then the recipe again. “Sam... I …What?”

“Do you think my mom would like it?” She had a smug look on her face, and it was then that I realized I’d been had.

“I’m sure your mother would _love_ it.”

Sam moved over to one of the cupboards and turned off a camera hidden there. “You should see the look on your face, sweetie.”

“Your inability to cook is legendary, but you’re not…” I wave my hand at her phone. “ _This_.”

She turned the oven and stove off, then came over and looped her arms around me. “I gotcha good. Don’t worry, delivery is already on the way.”

Despite the mess and sheer horror of what I’d witnessed, I couldn’t help but smile back at her. “One day, I’ll get you back. Not tomorrow, not next year. But one day.”

“I can’t wait for the Return of the Revenge of Lara Croft.”


	55. Movie Magic

“We should do a movie about your life.”

Looking up from the book she was sketching in, Lara stared at her wife, “I’m sorry, what?”

“You know!” Sam slid to her feet, moving her hands as she spoke. “A movie! I mean, we’ll have to change some details to appeal to the mass market. There needs to be like, an international world ending conspiracy. And we have to replace me with a hot guy.” Her tone took on a mocking note, “A gay adventurer? Think of the children!”

“Sam, I’m a lesbian and I’m proud of it, no romance with a man.” She set aside her sketchbook, unfolding her legs and standing. “Or anyone else but you.”

“You’re adorable. But we’re trying to make money here.” Sam tapped her finger on her lip. “ _Actually _...controversy sells. And there’s this migrating flock of women that will see anything with girls making out and a happy ending. And its not like we don’t deserve happy endings. Okay screw the money, we gotta do the right thing. Besides!” She flung up her hands “It’s true to life!”__

__Lara could tell that Sam had moved from the joking stage to the actually-kind-of-serious-about-it stage. “I take it the youtube channel isn’t enough?”_ _

__“The youtube channel is going to be what gets this off the ground,” Sam assured her. “You have a _lot_ of followers. Sure, half of them think all those videos are staged, but I don’t think that matters.”_ _

__It had been one of Sam’s best ideas. For every tomb that Lara explored and every ruin discovered, they’s recorded it with shoulder mounted cameras. Sam edited them and Lara added additional voice overs. They’d proven to be very popular, and they’d recently started doing some Q &A and educational sessions. But a movie was something else entirely._ _

__“But you’re talking about an actual scripted movie.”_ _

__“Lara Croft - Tomb Raider. Rated R,” Sam lifted her hands as though the title was in lights. “Produced directed and edited by Samantha Croft, with special cameo appearance by Lara Croft herself!”_ _

__“I only rate a cameo appearance?”_ _

__“We need star power, Lara. Harrison Ford could play Roth! Lucy Liu for Himiko!”_ _

__Lara started laughing. “Roth is rolling over in his grave as we speak! So who plays us?”_ _

__“We’ll find just the right people.” Sam draped her arms around Lara “Promise. I already know how I’ll shoot the sex scene.”_ _

__“Sam!”_ _

__She grinned as Lara’s face reddened. “And I was kind of hoping to get a little practice in. You know, for research.”_ _

__“For research.” Lara slipped her arms around Sam’s waist. “I think I see your true motivations. The things I do for stardom.” She picked Sam up and threw her over her shoulder. “Make sure to take plenty of notes.”_ _


End file.
